Several important works of Native American art led Santa Fe Art Auction’s Native Arts Sale, which took place February 10 and 11. Among these was Tony Da’s Turquoise Inlay Jar with Silver Lid (est. $25/35,000), which sold for $61,000, the third-highest price ever paid at auction. “[This] lot was a very rare example of Tony Da’s work, highlighted by Charles King at an educational talk during their Friday night reception,” says Gillian Blitch, president and CEO of Santa Fe Art Auction. “King co-authored with Richard Spivey the outstanding book, The Life and Art of Tony Da, and pointed out that this pot—featuring Da’s classic blackware with sienna tones, inlaid with turquoise, heishi and clam shell, along with a silver lid—was one of only two such pots Da ever made.”

Tony Da (San Ildefonso, 1940-2008), Turquoise Inlay Jar with Silver Lid, fired clay, pigments, turquoise, heishi, clam shell, silver, 12 x 8¼” Estimate: $25/35,000 SOLD: $61,000

T.C. Cannon’s acrylic and metallic paint on paper Moon and Stars over Taos (est. $20/40,000) sold for $39,650, also the third-highest price ever paid at auction. “Another thrilling artwork was the very rare, original painting by T.C. Cannon, completed in Taos in 1974,” Blitch adds. “A depiction of the moon and stars over Taos in silver and gold metallic paint on dark lavender-colored paper, the only other painting known to exist from this series resides in the permanent collection of the Hood Museum.”

Fritz Scholder (Luiseño, 1937-2005), The Border #2, ca. 1991, oil on canvas, 80 x 677⁄8” Estimate: $30/50,000 SOLD: $42,700

Additionally, Frank Howell’s acrylic on canvas Spring Matrix achieved $28,060 against a presale estimate of $6,000 to $9,000—a new world auction record.

T. C. Cannon (Kiowa, 1946-1978), Moon and Stars over Taos, 1974, acrylic and metallic paint on paper, 26 x 20”  Estimate: $20/40,000 SOLD: $39,650

“Over the course of three sessions the auction provided a remarkable representation of every pueblo and Southwestern culture from the turn of the 19th century through the most contemporary iterations of the present day, including all the classic media that Native American artists and craftspeople have exemplified during that period,” says Blitch. She cites early Skokomish and contemporary Hopi basketry, weavings from a Third Phase Navajo Chief’s Blanket, late 20th-century pictorial rugs, and pottery from 13th-century Casas Grande—as well as works by Da, Kathleen Wall, Charles Loloma, Kenneth Begay, Jamie Okuma, Fritz Scholder, Tony Abeyta and more.

Frank Howell (Lakota Sioux, 1937-1997), Spring Matrix, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60” Estimate: $6/9,000 SOLD: $28,060

The Native Arts sale consisted of more than 600 lots, ultimately resulting in a 96 percent sell-through by lot, with a grand total of $936,000 including buyer’s premiums.

Top Ten Sales
Santa Fe Art Auction, Native Arts Sale, February 10-11, 2023 (including buyer’s premiums)

Lot •  Low/High  •  Sold

1. Turquoise Inlay Jar with Silver Lid by Tony Da  •  $25/35,000  •  $61,000

2. The Border #2 by Fritz Scholder  •   $30/50,000  • $ 42,700

3. Moon and Stars over Taos by T.C. Cannon  •  $20/40,000  •  $39,650

4. Spring Matrix by Frank Howell  •  $6/9,000  •  $28,060

5. Grandmother’s Winds by Frank Howell  •  $2/4,000  •  $19,520

6. An Old Wind Whispers by Frank Howell  •  $8/12,000  •  $14,640

7. Etched Deer Plate by Tony Da  •  $6/12,000  • $13,420

8. Untitled (Mother and Child) by Allan Capron Houser   •  $8/12,000  •  $13,420

9. Twin Stargazers by Tony Abeyta  •  $8/12,000  •  $12,200

10. Untitled (Figure) by Frank Howell  •  $3/5,000  •  $8,500

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