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Pre-Columbian and Tribal
Sale 2533B offers a wide variety of Pre-Columbian textiles, some with estimates starting as low as $200. One featured textile is a woven Peruvian poncho, c. 200-700 A.D. The panels show standing mythological figures wearing double serpent head belts and holding what appear to be arrows. The poncho comes from the collection of Michael Mitchell, collected in the 1920s by his great-grandfather Ernest Mitchell. It is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000.
The sale also includes some very nice Tribal material including a fine selection of masks and sculptures. Featured are two Yoruba pieces: a carved wood helmet mask and a carved wood shrine figure, each estimated at $3,000 to $5,000. Also of note is a rare Songe carved stool. Provenance: Frank Crowinsheild, New York, John Graham, New York, 1940s, Arthur Rothenberg. The stool is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000. Other Tribal highlights include a Polynesian “Lizard Man” figure from Easter Island, also from the Arthur Rothenberg collection, and estimated at $5,000 to $7,000, and a classic Maori cloak from the early 19th century estimated at $8,000 to $12,000.
American Indian
Plains material being offered includes two miniature tipis and two hide dolls from the 19th century, estimated at $10,000 to $15,000; 15 ledger drawings by Southern Arapaho artist Mad Bull, estimated at $60,000 to $80,000; and a wonderfully large beaded hide male doll, standing 31 inches, and estimated at $8,000 to $12,000. Featured moccasins include a pair from the Central Plains, Lakota, estimated at $1,500 to $2,000; a pair from the Southern Plains, Cheyenne, estimated at $2,000 to $2,500; another pair from the Southern Plains, Cheyenne, this pair a beaded high-top girl’s moccasin, estimated at $3,000 to $4,000; and a pair from the Southwest, Mescalero Apache, estimated at $2,000 to $2,500.
Other works of note from the Central Plains include a Cheyenne beaded hide pipebag from the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, estimated at $8,000 to $12,000; an Arapaho beaded and quilled hide pipebag with old George Heye tag, and estimated at $15,000 to $20,000; a Cheyenne beaded hide bow case and quiver estimated at $12,000 to $16,000; and a Great Lakes beaded cloth bandolier bag with an American flag and eagle motif estimated at $6,000 to $8,000.
From the Northwest comes an Eskimo carved ivory pipe, estimated at $1,500 to $2,000; another Alaskan ivory pipe, estimated at $1,000 to $1,500; two large polychrome carved totem poles, both from the early 20th century – one estimated at $8,000 to $12,000, the other at $10,000 to $15,000; a carved mountain sheep horn feast ladle estimated at $10,000 to $15,000; and the cover lot, a rare shaman’s rattle, probably Tingit, and estimated at $20,000 to $30,000.
The sale also features two very nice Kachina dolls, both Hopi, c. 1900, one estimated at $500 to $700, the other at $2,500 to $3,500, and a fine collection of more than 20 Southwest fetishes ranging in price from $300 on the low end to $1,200 on the high. Textiles are also being offered including two Navajo weavings, one from the second quarter of the 20th century, estimated at $800 to $1,000, and the other from the first quarter of the 20th century, estimated at $1,500 to $2,000. Navajo pictorial weavings expected to draw interest include one c. 1920s estimated at $4,000 to $6,0000; another from the Ex Lynn Trusdell collection, estimated at $5,000 to $7,000; and a variant sandpainting weaving estimated at $6,000 to $8,000. Earlier textiles include a Serape-style child’s blanket, estimated at $8,000 to $12,000 and a third phase chief’s blanket from Fred Harvey Co, with original lead seal and price tag of $65, estimated at $5,000 to $7,000.
Pottery offerings are highlighted by 20 lots of black-on-black pottery by Maria, with estimates ranging from $200 on the low end to $6,000 on the high. Two beautiful, museum-quality Nampeyo pieces will also be up for bid, one a bowl from Paul Hulderman, descended in his family, and estimated at $10,000 to $15,000, the other a jar from the ex-collection of Jerold Collins. Basketry of interest includes two nice pictorial Apache works, one a coiled bowl estimated at $1,000 to $1,500, the other a tray estimated at $3,000 to $5,000. A historic “Tootsie Dick Sam” coiled bowl, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000, is likely to draw interest, as is a Northern California twined pictorial basket with an elk on each side and estimated at $800 to $1,200, and a California polychrome coiled jar (pictured above) with certificate from the Emporium Co., Carson City, Nevada, 1908, which is estimated at $8,000 to $12,000.
Catalog, Preview and Event Information
Previews for the auction will be Thursday, January 13th, 12 to 5 p.m., Friday, January 14th, 12 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, January 15th, 8 to 9:30 a.m.
Illustrated catalog #2533B is available by mail for $35 ($42 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 508-970-3000 x3240. It is also available at the gallery for $32. Prices realized will be available at skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. Skinner’s site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, order catalogs, and bid live in real-time through SkinnerLive!, Skinner’s live online bidding applet.
About Skinner
Skinner, Inc. is one of the world’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art. With expertise in over 20 specialty collecting areas, Skinner draws the interest of buyers from all over the world and its auctions regularly achieve world record prices. Skinner provides a broad range of auction and appraisal services, and it is widely regarded as one of the most trusted names in the auction business. Skinner’s appraisal experts regularly appear on the PBS-TV series, Antiques Roadshow, and its specialty departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, American & European Paintings & Prints, European Furniture & Decorative Arts, 20th Century Design, Fine Ceramics, Fine Jewelry, Couture, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Works of Art, Fine Wines, Rare Books & Manuscripts, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, Fine Judaica, Antique Motor Vehicles, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Discovery and Science, Technology & Clocks. Skinner galleries are located in Boston and Marlborough, Mass. For more information on upcoming auctions and events, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.
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Contacts
- Douglas Deihl, Director of American Indian & Ethnographic Art , 508-970-3254, ddeihl@skinnerinc.com
- Kate DeBethune, Director of Marketing, 508-970-3231, kdebethune@skinnerinc.com
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