In Plain Sight
A report on Skinner’s American Indian & Ethnographic Art sale.
BOSTON, MA
During Skinner Inc.’s December 1 American Indian & Ethnographic Art Sale, a total of 694 bidders vied for artifacts from coast to coast—including items from the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society in Easton, Pennsylvania, and the Medford Public Library Collection in Medford, Massachusetts. Highlights from the auction included a prime collection of Native American materials, Eskimo items and art from the Northwest Coast—resulting in $795,705.45 in total sales.
“There was a lot of participation,” says Michael Evans, Skinner Inc.’s director of tribal arts. “Overall, the American Indian materials—especially the pottery and weavings—did quite well. Some of the Eskimo materials also did quite well.”
Tied for top lot in the auction was a Southern Plains bead-decorated bridle from the mid-19th century and a Central Plains beaded hide bow case, bow and quiver from the 19th century. While both lots sold for $22,140, the Southern Plains bead-decorated bridle went for far beyond its estimated sale price of $800 to $1,200.
“I was a little surprised that it went so high,” Evans says. “We tried to make estimates very reasonable so all of the estimates were fairly modest. Ultimately, I think it did so well because it was very rare and a very early material and the beadwork was quite unusual.”
As for the rest of the top lots, Evans says that condition was key. “You’ve got a combination of rarity, good quality, early, never-before-seen in the market, fresh material,” he says. “That’s number one for this arena.”
Additionally, Evans notes that other top sellers
included pottery, weavings, items from the Great Plains, artwork with unique and intricate beadwork and pieces from the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society. “It was a little bit more of an old-fashioned sale focused on rarer and more historical pieces,” Evans says. “I thought it went very well. It was a pleasure having pieces from the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society and the Medford Public Library Collection.”