The more than 200-lot collection of James B. Scoville kicked off the two-day fall American Indian and Western Art auction held October 10 and 11 at Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati. There was much fanfare as bidders from across the country vied for items from the collector, who was an outdoorsman and founding director of Citizens for Conservation in Barrington, Illinois. His pieces led to a robust $923,625 of the sale’s more than $2 million total.
Apsáalooke (Crow) child’s beaded wool shirt. Estimate: $4/5,000 SOLD: $53,125
“From the moment I saw this collection I absolutely fell in love with it and I’m so happy to see collectors appreciated it as much as I did,” says Danica Farnand, Cowan’s director of American Indian and Western art. “Jim Scoville’s fervent passion and incredible eye for quality created one of the most extraordinary collections we’ve ever had the pleasure of handling.”
Great Lakes quilled hide knife sheath and cartouche knife. From the James B. Scoville Collection. Estimate: $20/30,000 SOLD: $53,125
Topping the sale was Inspection of a Permit, a watercolor over pen and ink on paper by C.M. Russell from Scoville’s items. The piece, which had a handwritten inscription on the lower margin, sold for $93,750 against a presale estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. Five other pieces from the collection landed within the top 10 lots, proving the strength of material.
Cheyenne River Sioux pictorial beaded hide tobacco bag. From the James B. Scoville Collection. Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $43,750
Native American weaponry from the collector were also standouts with three pieces being among those that sold in the top 10. A Great Lakes quilled hide knife sheath with cartouche knife (est. $20/30,000) sold for $53,125; an early Plains pictorial beaded knife sheath with knife achieved $46,875 to best its estimate of $20,000 to $30,000; and a Sioux quilled and beaded buffalo hide bow case and quiver achieved $41,250, topping its presale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
Other Scoville Collection items that stood out included a Cheyenne River Sioux pictorial beaded hide tobacco bag (est. $30/50,000) at $43,750; an Apsáalooke (Crow) beaded hide rifle scabbard (est. $15/25,000) at $20,625; and an early Jicarilla Apache buffalo hide parfleche cylinder (est. $6/8,000) at $20,000. 
Sioux quilled and beaded buffalo hide bow case and quiver. From the James B. Scoville Collection. Estimate: $20/30,000 SOLD: $41,250
Plains pony beaded buffalo hide possible bag. Estimate: $25/35,000 SOLD: $41,250
On the second day of the sale, beadwork continued to show its strength, including the surprise of an Apsáalooke (Crow) child’s beaded wool shirt from the Stanely B. Slocum Collection, Minnesota, achieving $53,125 against an estimate of $4,000 to $5,000. Also notable were a Plains pony beaded buffalo hide possible bag (est. $25/35,000), which sold for $41,250, and another item from the Slocum collection, an Apsáalooke (Crow) beaded hide blanket strip with blanket, that brought in $23,750, a price more than 10 times its high estimate of $2,000. —
Top Ten Sales
Cowan’s Auctions, American Indian & Western Art, October 10-11, 2019 (including buyer’s premium)
Item • Low/High Estimate • Sold
Inspection of a Permit by C.M. Russell • $80/120,000 • $93,750
Great Lakes quilled hide knife sheath with cartouche knife • $20/30,000 • $53,125
Apsáalooke (Crow) child’s beaded wool shirt • $4/5,000 • $53,125
Early Plains pictorial beaded knife sheath with knife • $20/30,000 • $46,875
Cheyenne River Sioux pictorial beaded hide tobacco bag • $30/50,000 • $43,750
Sioux quilled and beaded buffalo hide bow case and quiver • $20/30,000 • $41,250
Plains pony beaded buffalo hide possible bag • $25/35,000 • $41,250
Two Men in a Canoe by W.H.D. Koerner • $20/30,000 • $37,500
Well-documented Northwest Territory presentation style pipe tomahawk • $40/60,000 • $37,500
Navajo late classic second phase blanket/rug • $30/50,000 • $33,750
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