Bust of Longfellow character takes the stage at Cowan’s Feb. 7
Minnehaha, a central character in Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, is the subject of this marble bust by American sculptor Edmonia Lewis. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.
CINCINNATI – An outstanding bust of Minnehaha by Edmonia Lewis is expected to sell for $20,000-$30,000 at Cowan’s Auctions’ Winter Fine and Decorative Arts Sale, which will begin Feb. 7.
Minnehaha is a character in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha (1855), the single best-selling poem in the English language of the entire 19th-century. The marble bust is a little more than 11 1/2 inches high and is dated 1868.
Collectors and tourists alike flocked to Lewis’ studio to purchase this work with its added cachet of coming from the hand of an artist who herself was part Indian. The American and European press followed Lewis’ career closely, and she quickly became the first nonwhite American to gain an international reputation as a sculptor. The Bride of Spring, another sculpture by Lewis, sold for $138,000 at Cowan’s Fall Americana Auction on Oct. 12, 2007.
Another item of interest is a rare Chinese rhinoceros horn libation cup, which has a $5,000-$8,000 estimate. The libation cup, believed to be created during the ruling of K’ang-Hsi in China (1654-1722), is a carved rhinoceros horn depicting mountain landscape scenes. Because of laws protecting rhinoceroses, the supply of rhinoceros horn has diminished and some estimate there are less than 4,000 examples of rhinoceros horn carvings remaining, making these libation cups highly valued among collectors. A similar Chinese carved horn libation cup will be auctioned at Cowan’s for an estimated $3,000-$5,000. A rhinoceros horn libation cup crossed the auction block at Christie’s in Hong Kong in December and sold for $72,582, including the buyer’s premium after being estimated at $64,825-$77,790.
Sure to be a high seller is Robbing of Eagle’s Nest painting by African-American artist Robert Scott Duncanson (est. $50,000-$70,000). Recently discovered, the painting has hung in the same Morrow, Ohio, home for generations.
Coincidentally, an expansive landscape by fellow Cincinnati artist Henry W. Kemper, also dated 1856, was sold by Cowan’s for the estate in 2006, and it is possible that both works were acquired directly from the artists.
Cowan’s is one of the nation’s leading auction houses specializing in four divisions: Historic Americana; American Indian and Western Art; Paintings, Furniture and Decorative Art; and Historic Firearms and Early Militaria.
For information about Cowan’s and this auction go to the Web site www.cowans.com or phone 513-871-8670.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Robert Scott Duncanson’s painting Robbing the Eagle’s Nest was recently discovered hanging in a rural Ohio home. It is estimated to bring between $40,000 and $50,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.
Mountain landscape scenes are carved on this Chinese rhinoceros horn libation cup, which is expected to sell for $5,000-$8,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.
‘Tunisian Merchant’ bronze by Emile Edmond Paynot (1850-1932) is expected to bring between $10,000 and $15,000. Image courtesy Cowan’s Auctions.
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