Tribal Art Sale at Skinner

On November 7 in Boston, Skinner will hold an eclectic auction of American Indian and ethnographic art including objects collected by Captain William Trotter during his voyages in the Pacific and Atlantic between 1781 and 1796. Included will be a rare eight-foot-long Tongan spear club presented to Trotter by a Tongan king during a re-provisioning stopover in 1796 and an Aleutian Island straw purse produced by a culture known for its exceptionally fine twining. Trotter’s ship logs from these voyages were recently sold by Skinner for $22,140.

View the online catalogue.

Aleutian Islands purse  -  Late 19th century

Hide painted by Chiricahua Apache Naiche  -  Late 19th/early 20th century

Tongan spear-club  -  Mid-18th century

Navajo Third Phase chief's blanket  -  Ca 1870s

Dag knife  -  Mid-19th century

Kiowa man's painted hide shirt  -  Late 19th century

Images courtesy of Skinner

Native American Art Sale at Bonhams

Bonhams will present a sale of fine Native American art in San Francisco on June 1.  Showcasing an extensive range of works from traditional cultures across the North American continent, the lots on offer will include beaded garments from the Plains, Southwestern ceramics and katsina, Northwest Coast masks, Arctic artifacts, and much more. 

View the online catalogue.

Boy's shirt  -  Lakota Sioux

Mask  -  Tsimshian

Effigy figure  -  Okvik (Eskimo)

Images courtesy of Bonhams