Skip to content
American Indian art

Cowan’s to host notable American Indian art auction April 5

American Indian art
Zia polychrome pottery olla. Collection of Harriet and Seymour Koenig. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Cowan’s Auctions image

CINCINNATI – An exceptional collection of pottery, textiles, fine art and katsinas from the southwestern United States highlights Cowan’s Spring American Indian & Western Art Premier Auction on April 5. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

The auction will feature over 400 lots of art and artifacts that span the entirety of human history on the North American continent, with pieces crafted by prehistoric man to works of art created by contemporary artists.

American Indian art
Joseph No Two Horns (Hunkpapa Lakota, 1852–1942), horse dance stick. Estimate: $30,000- $50,000. Cowan’s Auctions image

“This auction has something for every kind of American Indian art collector imaginable,” said Danica Farnand, Cowan’s director of American Indian & Western Art. “We have spectacular prehistoric birdstones, incredible Plains material, vibrant, contemporary paintings and everything in between.”

American Indian art
Delaware/Ottawa black-tanned hide bag and wool belt. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Cowan’s Auctions image

The highlight of the auction is the Harriet and Seymour Koenig Collection of Southwestern Art. Seymour Koenig was a research physicist that frequently consulted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico in the 1950s and 1960s. The family’s trips to the southwest led Seymour and his wife, Harriet, to develop a passionate interest in the art and history of the indigenous peoples of New Mexico and Arizona. Many of the pieces offered in the auction from the collection were purchased either directly from the artists or from local trading posts during these trips.

American Indian art
Henry Farny (American, 1847-1916), ‘In Luck,’ gouache. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000. Cowan’s Auctions image

“Harriet and Seymour assembled one of the most spectacular collections we’ve ever had the fortune of offering at auction,” said Farnand. “You can see the passion and the love of the region in the pieces they carefully curated over a lifetime of collecting.”

American Indian art
Assiniboine beaded hide shirt. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Cowan’s Auctions image

The anticipated top attration in the auction is a rare Glacial Kame Culture porphyry popeye fantail birdstone that is expected to sell for $250,000-$350,000.

[av_button label=’View the fully illustrated catalog and bid on LiveAuctioneers.’ link=’manually,https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/137745_american-indian-and-western-art-premier-auction/’ link_target=’_blank’ size=’medium’ position=’center’ label_display=” icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ av_uid=’av-79mvply’ admin_preview_bg=”]