SANTA FE, N.M. – More than 800 lots of American Indian artifacts, art and related collectibles will all come up for bid Aug. 12-14 at the 2016 Best of Santa Fe auction. Best of Santa Fe is an annual event hosted by Allard Auctions Inc., based in St. Ignatius, Montana.
The auction will be held at the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple, located at 463 Paseo de Peralta. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com
Best of Santa Fe has traditionally been a two-day event. But this year, something new has been added: a Friday evening session, Aug. 12, beginning at 6 p.m. Mountain time. The auction features quality Indian jewelry, outstanding concho belts, bolo ties, squash blossom necklaces, bracelets, bolo and buckle sets, and many other items.
“Friday’s session will feature several pieces we believe may be the world’s largest,” said Steve Allard of Allard Auctions. “These include a Navajo canteen, a Navajo concho belt and a Zuni bolo tie. The other two days will feature a great assortment of beadwork, baskets from many areas, and Northwest Coast and Eskimo masks, ivory, carvings, feast dishes, jewelry and more.”
Several lots are expected to soar as high as $50,000 or more. A strong candidate for top lot of the sale will be an historic, all-buckskin Northern Plains quilled war shirt (below), made in the late 1880s and boasting a beautiful wide quilled sleeve and body strips, and with traditional geometrics done in (now faded) purples, pinks, yellow and red. The war shirt is expected to bring $30,000-$60,000.
Two other war shirts carry estimates of $25,000-$50,000. One is a late 1800s Sioux sinew sewn hide war shirt (below) with lazy stitch beaded geometrics, arm and shoulder strips and several American flags. The other is a circa-1900 traditional buckskin Teton Sioux warrior’s shirt with sinew sewn and lazy stitch beaded geometric panels and collar tabs. It sold at Christie’s in 1994 for $13,800.
A Navajo rug/weaving Germantown blanket, made around 1890, and in excellent condition after some professional restoration, 56 inches by 91 inches, and showing a rare hybrid pattern of both the Ganado and Crystal J.B. Moore designs, should realize $15,000-$30,000. A late 1800s fine weave Navajo Germantown blanket, 45 inches by 66 inches, with ivory and red serrated diamonds, thin spider woman crosses and rare arrow figures should command $10,000-$20,000.
An exquisite all-wood back Iroquois cradle board with protruding footrest and horseshoe-shaped “roll bar” (sun shade), rare and fully intact, should sell for $15,000-$30,000. The 26-inch tall piece features a painted flower pot with vines, leaves and two birds.
A pair of toy cradle boards each carries an estimate of $20,000-$40,000. The first is a circa-1890s Crow example, exhibiting fine beadwork, with sinew sewn and lazy stitch beading on the buffalo hide and muslin, and with fringes top and bottom. It was last purchased in 2001 for $22,500. The second is a fully beaded, early 1900s Kiowa toy cradle board, attributed to Atah and having a loomed top strap, twist fringe and original doll with diamond design in her body.
Start times are 6 p.m. Aug. 12, noon on Aug. 13 and 10 a.m. on Aug. 14.
For details contact Allard Auctions Inc. at 406-745-0500 or toll-free: 888-314-0343 or email info@allardauctions.com.