TOP QUALITY
Heritage Auctions’ June 25 sale of ethnographic art included solid results for significant items.
Heritage Auctions’ June 25 sale of ethnographic art included solid results for significant items.
DALLAS, TX
On June 25, Heritage Auctions hosted its Ethnographic Art: American Indian, Pre-columbian and Tribal auction with high demand for its pre-columbian pieces leading the sale to a total of just over $1 million. The Native American component of the sale was also strong, with three items landing in the top 10 lots and an array of other pieces pulling strong prices.
The highest earner in the category was the day’s No. 3 lot, a Tlingit Chilkat blanket that had multiple collectors vying for the piece. The work, which had been in the same collection since the 1970s, measured 68 inches wide without its fringe and was in very good condition. According to Delia Sullivan, director of ethnographic art at Heritage, these blankets are “getting rarer” as the auction house “used to be presented one every couple of years and now it’s seven to 10 years.” The blanket sold for $35,000, a price that was just above its low presale estimate of $30,000.
Also in the top 10 was the auction’s cover lot: a colorful painting of an Indian in full regalia by John Nieto titled Medicine Man (est. $10/15,000). “The colors were exceptionally beautiful,” says Sullivan, adding that “the purple and red garment contrasted with the teals of the background really nicely.” The painting sold for $18,750.
A Plateau beaded wool horse mask was a highlight of the auction, as the interest
from bidders pushed the work to $15,000 against a presale estimate of $5,000 to $7,000. “It’s quite unique,” explains Sullivan. “This piece, the wool had faded, but otherwise was in very nice condition. They’re just unusual items, and it was very nicely displayed and had a lot of presence.
Sullivan says the sale did well with its historic pottery. “We had a large collection of pots and the best pieces that sold the highest were the older pieces from the 1880s,” elaborates Sullivan. There were also a number of weavings with vivid colors that performed well in the sale, including a Teec Nos Pos and Germantown. Early baskets and Plains materials also saw action for buyers.