GREAT MATERIALS
Pottery and an early Iroquois war club lead Heritage Auctions’ ethnographic art sale in Dallas.
Pottery and an early Iroquois war club lead Heritage Auctions’ ethnographic art sale in Dallas.
DALLAS, TX
Incredible materials from all over North America, including some lots that stretch back two centuries, will be available to bidders on June 25 at Heritage Auctions’ Ethnographic Art: American Indian, Precolumbian and Tribal Auction in Dallas.
Historic and contemporary pottery will play a major role in the sale, with as many as 120 pieces that will cross Heritage’s auction block. “The pottery is truly great. And we have pottery of all kinds. I’m still getting pieces in as we speak,” says ethnographic specialist Delia Sullivan. “We’ve had success with both historic and contemporary work, but this year’s contemporary offerings are really quite exciting, especially the Tony Da plate.”
Da, the famous San Ildefonso potter who is the grandson of Maria and Julian Martinez, will be represented in the sale by a blackware plate that is estimated at $4,000 to $6,000. Another pottery lot is a Hopi polychrome bowl estimated at $5,000 to $7,000.
One of the highlights of the sale is an Iroquois ball head war club from around 1800. The 27-inch-long weapon carved out of wood with a fine brown patina is expected to sell between $60,000 and $80,000. “This is a beautiful weapon, and weapons are enormously
popular with collectors, many of whom see them as the ultimate symbol of masculinity,” says Sullivan. “Ball head war clubs like this rank right up there with the most coveted lots that come to auction, like war shirts, so to find one as beautiful and rare as this one, and in such exceptional condition, make the interest even more understandable.”
Sullivan points out that, because of the club’s age, it was highly unlikely that it was made to be ceremonial or even something that would be sold to white tourists—it was made to be used in battle and likely was on many occasions. “It was almost certainly carried into battle and you notice that when you hold it. It has a heft to it, and protuberance on the end that would do some serious damage to anyone it was swung at,” she says.
Also in the sale, and being sold as a pair, are two Yokuts coiled baskets estimated at $50,000 to $70,000. The Yokuts people lived in Central California, which is where the basket likely originated from around 1925. The pieces are not attributed to a specific artist, though documentation reveals the weaver was likely Aida Maggie Icho, who also went by the name Wachnomkot. One of the baskets is more than 13 inches in diameter, while the larger one is more than 23 inches in diameter. “It’s rare to find a basket this large,” Sullivan says. “Also unique is how the baskets are certainly by the same hand, and they sort of match, but not exactly. And the
condition is really impressive.”
Elsewhere in the auction is a Northwest Coast Chilkat blanket from the same collection as the war club. These magnificent Chilkat blankets, with their unique shape and long fringe, were created to be worn by chiefs, who would wear the blankets during ceremonies in which they would sing, chant and carry a rattle. “This one is woven in mountain goat hair and sometimes the weaver would add bits of cedar bark into the weaving. I’ve seen some with more cedar bark, but this one definitely has some great areas where cedar bark can be seen woven into the design,” Sullivan adds. “Also remarkable is that it is evenly faded. When you flip it over you can see the original color.”
Other lots in the sale include a Plateau beaded wool horse mask made with glass seed beads, muslin, brass buttons, brass sequins, brass hawk bells, hide and thread. The piece is estimated at $5,000 to $7,000. Also noteworthy is a Micmac quilled chair made from natural and dyed porcupine quills. The chair is estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.
Sullivan says the auction house has already seen a lot of interest on their materials for Ethnographic Art: American Indian, Pre-columbian and Tribal Auction. “Collectors are excited about the lots we’re going to be showing,” she says. “It should be an exciting sale.”