This summer Bonhams will host its next Native American Art sale, which typically includes around several hundred lots of fine pieces from tribes around the nation. The auction, postponed from June to August due to COVID-19, has already consigned a number of standout items for collectors to bid on with even more to come as it takes shape for the later date. Highlighting the sale is an array of Northwest Coast items, solid textiles, basketry and a notable collection of jewelry.
Navajo Germantown weaving. Estimate: $5/8,000In the Northwest Coast segment of the sale, collectors will be treated to an early and exceptional Tlingit rattle that has a strong provenance. The work, which features elegant and detailed carvings, is expected to sell between $180,000 and $220,000. There are also two items coming from separate collections in Europe: a Northwest Coast wooden staff (est. $40/60,000) and a Northwest Coast rattle (est. $40/60,000).
An early and exceptional Tlingit rattle. Estimate: $180/220,000The wooden staff arrives from a collector in Sweden. “He bought it 50 years ago in an antique shop in Stockholm just on a whim,” says Ingmārs Lindbergs, director of Native American art at the auction house. “He didn’t know Native American art. It was just something that appealed to him.” The rattle, from an English collection, has been in its consignor’s family for several generations, but no one knows how they acquired it. Lindbergs adds, “These items show that there are treasures out there to be found still. The fact that they’ve never been on the market in recent memory is really exciting.”
A Northwest Coast rattle. Estimate: $40/60,000Textiles from a California Central Valley collection are among the featured items in that segment of the sale. “They put together a nice collection of textiles. There are some nice Germantowns, a variation chief’s weaving and there are some neat saddle blankets,” Lindbergs shares. “With textiles they had a good eye.” Standouts from the group are two Navajo Germantowns with estimates of $5,000 to $8,000 and $6,000 to $8,000, and a Navajo fancy saddle blanket that is expected to sell between $1,500 and $2,000.
A Northwest Coast wooden staff. Estimate: $40/60,000
In the jewelry session, collectors will find a special collection of Navajo and Pueblo adornments coming from the Charles and Sharon Aberle Collection of Beverly Hills, California. When Sharon’s husband passed away five years ago, she offered their textiles at another auction house, but held on to her jewelry collection. Now with her recent passing, the family has consigned the jewelry to Bonhams. “There are really great early Navajo bracelets and rings, and a really great squash blossom necklace,” says Lindbergs of just a few of the pieces.
A selection of historic Navajo and Pueblo jewelry from the Charles and Sharon Aberle Collection, Beverly Hills, California. Estimates vary
There are also a number of baskets hitting the market, including a small collection of Southern Nevada Paiute baskets. “This kind of group is unusual because it’s Southern Nevada Paiute, and they have a distinctive regional style,” Lindbergs explains. “The last time we had any of these was a couple of years ago when we offered a great basket collection. They’re often misidentified because they’re similar to Panamint weavings, because they’re essentially neighbors. These works in the sale are vibrant and well woven. They’re in mint condition from the 1910s or ’20s.”
Navajo fancy saddle blanket. Estimate: $1,5/2,000
For full details on the official date and time of the sale, keep your eyes on the Bonhams website. “By the time August rolls around,” Lindbergs adds, “we’ll be able to step out with a tour de force sale for all the folks that have been cooped up for all of these months.”
August 2020
Native American Art
Bonhams
7601 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 850-7500, www.bonhams.com
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