HISTORY COMES ALIVE
Cowan’s Auctions’ two-day sale of Native American and Western artwork includes a single-owner segment of Plains material.
Cowan’s Auctions’ two-day sale of Native American and Western artwork includes a single-owner segment of Plains material.
CINCINNATI, OH
On the first day of Cowan’s Auctions’ upcoming two-day American Indian & Western Art sale, held October 10 and 11, a spectacular single-owner collection will arrive at market. The grouping, from James B. Scoville, features 200 lots of Western art and 19th-century Plains Indian material that provides a snapshot of both the legends of the region and everyday life.
“I’m not sure you could have assembled a better representation of the Great Plains in the 19th century, if you had unlimited time and resources,” says Danica Farnand, Cowan’s director of American Indian and Western art. “James’ fervent passion and incredible eye for quality created one of the most extraordinary collections we’ve ever had the pleasure of handling.”
Born in 1924, Scoville was an avid outdoorsman who traveled to the Plains region with his wife, Peggy, to bow hunt and camp. Scoville was the founding director of Citizens for Conservation in Barrington, Illinois. His passion for the history of the region lives through the artwork he collected. Farnand adds, “James was an incredible storyteller. In his collection, he’s telling us the story of the Great Plains.”
Among the Native American highlights from his collection are a Cheyenne River Sioux pictorial beaded hide tobacco bag (est. $30/50,000); a Plains pictorial beaded knife sheath with knife that is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000; and a Sioux quilled and buffalo
hide bow case and quiver (est. $20/30,000). Also available is a Cheyenne buffalo hide parfleche cylinder that has an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000 and a Crow beaded hide rifle scabbard (est. $15/25,000).
The second day of the sale is a mixed offering of materials that include Native American weaponry, textiles, beadwork, jewelry and more from tribes across the United States. Standouts include a group of effigy pipes and weaponry that is led by an early Oto ball club expected to sell between $35,000 to $45,000. There also will be an early Anishinaabe carved wood effigy tomahawk that belonged to Wyandot High Priest “Syuontha” (est. $40/60,000) and an Eastern Plains quilled knife sheath that has an estimate of $20,000 to $25,000.
Textiles and clothing in the sale include an Arikara beaded hide dress (est. $20/25,000) and a Navajo late classic second phase chief ’s blanket (est. $30/50,000). Other items crossing the block include a Crow beaded buffalo hide rifle scabbard (est. $20/25,000) and a Plains pony beaded buffao hide possible bag (est. $25/35,000).
Both sessions will kick off at 10 a.m. on their respective days.