Sotheby’s NY: Arts of the American West
Following close on the heels of the million-dollar sale of the Andy Williams Collection of Navajo Blankets, Sotheby’s 22 May auction of the Arts of the American West realised almost $4 million. This was the first Sotheby’s sale to bring together the best examples of American Indian artistic traditions as well as Western paintings and works on paper spanning 2,000 years of cultural and aesthetic traditions. Top lot was a Northwest Coast polychrome wood headdress that almost doubled its estimate to sell for $425,000. Textile interest included good Germantown and Yei blankets, and a trio of so-called Chilkat blankets from the Pacific Northwest.
NORTHWEST COAST POLYCHROME WOOD HEADDRESS. Estimate: $175,000 – 225,000, SOLD. $425,000
TLINGIT CEREMONIAL DANCE BLANKET, Estimate: $50,000 – 80,000, SOLD. $43,750
TLINGIT CEREMONIAL DANCE BLANKET. Estimate: $20,000 – 30,000, SOLD $25,000
TLINGIT CEREMONIAL DANCE BLANKET, Estimate: $20,000 – 30,000 , SOLD $18,750
NAVAJO GERMANTOWN BLANKET. Estimate: $30,000 – 50,000, SOLD $22,500
NAVAJO PICTORIAL RUG. Estimate: $12,000 – 18,000, SOLD $40,625
DELAWARE BEADED BANDOLIER BAG, Estimate: $40,000 – 60,000 , SOLD $50,000
CROW BEADED HIDE WAR SHIRT, Estimate: $200,000 – 300,000, SOLD $341,000
