Old West & Native American Auction
Lot 1402:
Description
As a seasoned collector of early 20th-century figurative paintings, this piece depicting an Indigenous couple—a chief in a full feathered headdress holding a bow and a maiden leaning on his shoulder—is a classic example of Romantic Americana often produced in the 1930s-1950s. The style leans toward a sentimental, studio-school interpretation rather than a true ethnographic depiction. It’s an oil on canvas, mounted on a wooden stretcher and housed in its original, simple, light-green painted wood frame. The canvas is secured to the stretcher with staples. The overall condition shows significant age and storage wear. There are multiple, distinct tears/punctures to the canvas in various locations, including a notable diagonal crack in the upper-left quadrant and a clean puncture near the bottom edge. The reverse of the canvas has a patch of paper backing that has been torn away, revealing a bright green painted reverse of the canvas, which is an interesting construction note. The frame shows paint loss and scuffing consistent with age. H 32.5″, W 22.5″, D 1.5″
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