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Delia's Picks
Delia Sullivan | American Indian Art Specialist
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Among the most compelling works in the sale is a small Tairona gold mask, finely detailed with gold threads and beads on cut sheet gold. Look closely and you will notice a second set of eyes suspended on delicate wires above the eyes below. As the mask moves, the upper pair shifts, producing a surreal double-vision unique in ancient American goldwork. The effect is that of great Surrealist art: a technical tour de force and a conceptual play on the act of seeing itself. It is an ancient artwork that rewards close attention, distinguished for both the quality of its goldwork and the ingenuity of its design.
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Today, as well as in former times, when it becomes known that a woman is with child, her mother, mother-in-law, aunt, or friend might assume the task of creating a cradleboard for the expected baby. Likely a male member of the family creates the wooden foundation, while females undertake the creation of the beaded cover, tie bands and other parts. The motifs and bead colors exhibited on this cradleboard wholly exemplify classic Crow beadwork, beginning sometime early to mid-19th century.
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Ian's Pick
Ian Eastes | Associate Specialist, Ethnographic Art
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My favorite thing about this lot is the impact it has when all the ladles are displayed together. The contrasting designs, shades of black and white, and sizes of each ladle make it visually interesting; sixteen examples allow the viewer to examine the complexity and creativity in Anasazi pottery. Instantly, the bidder will have a diverse and robust collection of ancient ceramics with the purchase of this grouping.
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Don's Picks
Don Ackerman | Managing Director of Political Americana
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We like to offer the "unusual" and this "coffin dagger" fills the bill. It is inscribed "Frank Stilwell Tombstone, A.T. 1882" and serves as a macabre souvenir of the demise of outlaw Frank Stillwell, suspected in the murder of Morgan Earp on March 18, 1882 and the attempted murder of Virgil Earp while he was leaving for California. Wyatt Earp, in concert with Doc Holliday and others, shot Stillwell with a shotgun two days after Morgan’s murder. The coiled metal snake on the lid is commentary on Stilwell’s character.
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George Armstrong Custer was a flamboyant character. During the Civil War, he wore non-regulation uniforms, combining elements of different branches of the service, accentuated by a red neckerchief and flowing blond hair. While stationed in Indian Territory, he liked to wear elk skin jackets on hunting trips and guided expeditions. He was often photographed wearing such jackets, of which this example, tracing back to his wife Libby, is a prime example.
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Delia Sullivan
American Indian Art
Specialist
DeliaS@HA.com
(214) 409-1343
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Ian Eastes
Associate Specialist,
Ethnographic Art
IanE@HA.com
(214) 409-1516
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Don Ackerman
Managing Director of
Political Americana
DonA@HA.com
(214) 409-1884
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