Native American Art
Alice Kaufman | December 3rd, 2012
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A Navajo Classic child’s blanket sold to a dealer from the Southwest for $60,000 (est. $20,000/40,000). This blanket was originally offered at the Ball collection sale in May 2012, at Bonhams in New York City, with an estimate of $50,000/70,000. |
Bonhams, San Francisco
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Bonhams’ Native American art expert Jim Haas called the December 3, 2012, auction in San Francisco “somewhat smaller” than recent auctions.
“It’s the luck of the draw,” he told M.A.D., “as far as collections coming in.” But what sales there were, were choice. “The auction was wildly successful,” he said, “with ninety percent of lots sold. In the best of times, we don’t sell ninety percent. Happy days may not be here again, but I can see confidence returning to the market.”
One important lot that didn’t sell, lot 4297, an early third-phase Navajo chief’s blanket, had been purchased at Bonhams in 2006 at the sale of the Silverman Museum collection for $161,250. The owner was offering the blanket at a reserve price less than what he paid in 2006—the estimate was $125,000/175,000—but no one met that price.
Sales totaled $1.28 million (all prices quoted here include buyers’ premiums). Bonhams next Native American art auction is scheduled for June 3 in San Francisco. The luck of the draw seems to be with Haas this time, as he said he has “a fabulous collection already promised for June.”
For more information, contact Bonhams at (415) 861-7500 or (www.bonhams.com).
An Osuitok Ipeelee (1922-2005) signed stone sculpture, 9" high x 16" long, sold to Bay Area collectors for $11,250 (est. $5000/8000). “We have never been known for selling Inuit graphic arts,” Jim Haas said. “It can be hard to determine the artist. Most of the pieces are not that valuable, and they are very heavy. This comes from a collection we acquired. It is by a known artist, so the name means a lot.” |
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An Eskimo scrimshaw ivory bow drill sold for $11,875 (est. $1500/2000) to Denver dealer David Cook, in the room. “As it turned out,” Haas said, “the drill’s small size (11 1/8" long) turned out to be a plus.”
The Navajo or Pueblo cross necklace (left), illustrated on the catalog’s front cover, sold for $11,250 (est. $5000/8000) to a telephone bidder, a dealer from New Mexico. The Pueblo cross necklace in the center sold for $3750. The Navajo or Pueblo cross on the right sold for $4375.
A Haida argillite figure sold to a private collector for $16,250 (est. $8000/12,000).
A Navajo pendant by Jesse Monongye sold for $10,625 (est. $5000/8000).
A group of 26 Pima and Papago miniature horsehair baskets sold for $12,500 (est. $7000/10,000) to a private collector bidding in the room. Haas called this lot an “instant collection.”
A Yokut polychrome gambling tray sold to an Arizona collector for $22,500 (est. $15,000/20,000).Originally published in the March 2013 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2013 Maine Antique Digest
