DALLAS, Texas — A diverse collection of American Indian, Pre-Columbian and Tribal Art will interest collectors during the June 23 Heritage Auctions Ethnographic Auction.
A member of the Tewa-Hopi tribe, Dan Namingha captures the imagery of his homeland and his people in Butterfly Kachina, 1985 (est. $6,000-8,000).
Two beautiful Navajo rugs are presented in this auction. A Navajo Pictorial Rug, circa 1925 (est. $5,000-7,000) measures 82-1/2 by 56-1/2 inches, features three Yei figures and is in overall excellent condition. Joining this piece is a Large Navajo Regional Rug, Two Gray Hills, circa 1925 (est. $5,000-7,000) measuring 88-1/2 by 133 inches.
Both turn-of-the-century and contemporary Indian artworks comprise the Duncan Family Ranch Collection. Four generations of Hugh Duncan's family were ranchers in Wyoming, right in the proximity of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. Duncan sold the ranch in 2006, but by then had a passion for collecting. A Sioux Beaded Hide Double Saddle Blanket (est. $3,000-5,000) represents an old, turn-of-the-century piece from this collection, while a Contemporary Cheyenne River Sioux Tipi Bag (est. $2,000-3,000) is a stunning example of the new.
A collection from the heirs of Maj. Charles Beverly Ewing, a medical doctor in the U. S. Army also known as "The Fighting Doctor" highlights this auction. Ewing's accounts have been recorded and published in various formats, including Voices of Wounded Knee by William S. E. Coleman and Army at Wounded Knee by Samuel Russell.
Pieces available from Ewing's heirs include Sioux Beaded Hide Tipi Bag (est. $3,000-5,000), an Apache Beaded Hide Strike-A-Light Pouch (est. $1,000-1,500), an Arapaho Child's Beaded Hide Tobacco Bag and Family Archive (est. $400-600) and a Sioux Quilled Hide Hair Ornament (est. $700-1,000).
A number of Pre-Colombian pieces are featured from the estate Adeline Newman of Beverly Hills, California. The Newmans collected actively in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, when there was an enormous number of pieces coming into Los Angeles. Many exhibit excellent provenance, including Nayarit Couple, circa 200 BC-200 AD (est. $4,000-6,000), which includes a male figure that was illustrated in The Shaft Tomb Figures of West Mexico, by Hasso von Winning, 1974, Southwest Museum, Los Angeles.
Additional fine pieces from the Newman collection include a Teotihuacan Incensario circa 400-600 AD (est. $10,000-15,000), a large and impressive Chupicuaro Standing Femalecirca 400-200 BC (est. $6,000-8,000) and an Olmec Baby circa 1000-400 BC (est. $5,000-7,000).
Finally, the Tribal art section of the sale features selections from the collection of Dr. George Nelson Preston, a well-known African art scholar. One of his pieces, a Superb Carved Soapstone Stele (est. $10,000 – 15,000) is considered a rarity among rare objects.
Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:
- A Sioux Beaded Hide Dress, circa 1900 (est. $5,000-7,000)
- A Potawatomie Bandolier Bag, circa 1890 (est. $2,000-3,000)
- An Eskimo Carved Walrus Ivory Vignette (est. $5,000 - 7,000)
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
