A Hunkpapa Lakota (Sioux) pictorial muslin depicting exploits of Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka) With possible attribution to Four Horns (Heu-Topa, c. 1814-1886/87), cut to resemble a buffalo or elk hide, with the peg holes penciled in about the perimeter, commemorating status-building deeds of valor performed by Sitting Bull (Tatanka Yotanka, c.1831-1890). size approximately 64 1/2 x 39in; as framed 68 1/2 x 47 7/8in Footnotes: Illustrated in the round with 32 separate events recorded, the protagonist in all but one scene identified by the pictographic 'name glyph' of a seated buffalo associated with Sitting Bull; the one scene lacking that element incorporates within the narrative his distinctive shield, painted with a dark bird. The events depicted are known from a collection of fifty-five drawings attributed to the warrior-artist Four Horns, (Heu-Topa, c. 1814-1886/87), uncle of Sitting Bull, that were collected in Fort Buford, Dakota Territory, in 1870, now in the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian Institution. The attribution of authorship of the drawings in the NAA to Four Horns has been previously made in Maurer, Evan M., Visions of the People: A Pictorial History of Plains Indian Life, 1992, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN, pp. 212-213, figs. 181-185, and McCoy, Ron, 'A Hunkpapa Lakota Warrior-Artist Commemorates His Relatives' Valor', American Indian Art Magazine, Vol. 39, No. 2, Spring 2014, pp. 42-51. More recently, the question has been raised whether conclusive identification of the artist of the NAA drawings can be made definitively; see Greene, Candace S., 'Sitting Bull, Four Horns, and Fort Buford: Questioning a Famous Set of Plains Drawings', Museum Anthropology Review, Vol. 16.1-2 (Spring/Fall 2022), pp 11-29. In chronicling the historic documentation associated with the collection and attribution of the artwork, the author noted: 'A letter from the Rev. John Williamson filed with the drawings shows that research to improve identifications began in 1882. Seeking information about the drawings, the AMM (Army Medical Museum, recipient of the drawings in 1871) had shipped them west to Fort Randall, where Sitting Bull was being held prisoner after he returned from his Canadian exile. Williamson, a missionary at the nearby Yankton agency who spoke Lakota, was called upon to assist in interviewing Sitting Bull about the drawings. In general, Sitting Bull acknowledged that the pictures represented his deeds... The only pictures that he was willing to be specific about were (drawing) No. 1, his first war deed at age fourteen, and No. 10, where he counted coup on an Arikara. Williamson noted that the situation of captivity was not an opportune one for candor. When asked about the authorship of the drawings, Sitting Bull said that they must be copies of ones that he had made some years previously. He had given the originals to Jumping Bull (his adoptive brother), whom he believed still had them. He did not know who might have made the copies.' Ibid., p.17. On the present lot, Image No.1 can be seen center right on the muslin, with Image No. 10 in the upper right corner. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: W W Lot is oversized or otherwise such that it must be collected from our designated warehouse. Please refer to the Offsite Sold Property Storage section of the Buyer's Guide for details. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing