Western folk art gems were the highlight of Bonhams Skinner’s “American History in Wood.” 

All Images Courtesy Bonhams Skinner

 

A depiction of the earliest frontier, a bas-relief carving of the arrival of the Vikings in North America, was created by Karl von Rydingsvärd of Portland, Maine, in 1900. It brought $1,530.

 

America’s folk artists were un-trained, but often skillful, documenters of American life. Sometimes they recorded everyday occurrences, which can be seen in the paintings of Grandma Moses, and sometimes they recorded historic events, like an unknown artist’s wood carving showing a Pony Express rider. Their media ranged from oil paintings and watercolors to wood. Folk art is something that has fascinated me throughout my career, so I was particularly drawn to the Bonhams Skinner online auction held February 12-22, 2023. 

Titled “American History in Wood,” and featuring the Levine Folk Art Collection, the auction had 397 pieces of hand-carved folk art depicting people and events in American history. The pieces ranged across history, from a bas-relief carving showing the arrival of the Vikings in the late 10th century to a carved relief commemorating the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. Collected throughout North America, the over 40 pieces depicted characters and events from the American West.

Most of the pieces at the auction were carved by anonymous folk artists, as was often the case. If the piece was signed, revealing the identity of the artist, that often increases the value of a piece. The artistic quality of the art and the age of the piece are also factors by which folk art is evaluated. Among the earliest pieces offered at the auction were three bas-relief carvings of American Indians, all dating from the 19th century, skillfully carved and colorfully decorated. Each sold for over $1,000. A rather crudely carved and painted plaque of a Pony Express rider, while it was interesting subject matter, sold for only $102. That piece was made around the same time that a carving of an American Indian was made. The carving of the Indian, more skillfully carved and identified as to its maker, who lived in Quebec, Canada, brought $1,658.

Most collectors of the West are going to be hard-pressed to find a bargain when it comes to acquiring depictions by Western artists like Charles Russell or Frederic Remington, but one can still find folk art gems for an attainable price. That was the case with the Bonhams Skinner auction of folk carvings, with prices ranging from the low $100 to under $2,000. These artists played their part in portraying both the legendary and the true West.

UPCOMING AUCTIONS

July 15, 2023

The 2023 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction

Grand Sierra Resort (Reno, NV)

CDAArtAuction.com • 208-772-9009

August 15-18, 2023

Firearms & Militaria

Morphy Auctions (Denver, PA)

MorphyAuctions.com • 877-968-8880

August 25, 2023

Premier Firearms Auction #89

Rock Island Auction Co. (Rock Island, IL)

RockIslandAuction.com • 800-238-8022

 

Abraham Lincoln was frequently featured in folk carvings. A nine-inch-high carved and painted figure of Abraham Lincoln by Fred Lindgren of Chicago in 1945 sold for $408.

 

A painted wooden figure of a cowboy (above) sold for $765, while a painted figure of a gunslinger (below) sold for $638.

 

This 16-inch-high painted carving of a modern rancher wearing a hat and quilted vest sold for $638. It was made by an unknown folk artist in 1980.

 

Made by an unknown artist, ca. 1950, this crudely hand-carved and painted plaque sold for $102. It depicts a Pony Express rider beginning his ride in St. Joseph, Missouri. Note the accurate rendering of the mochila, a special saddle bag used to carry the mail to California.

 

One of three bas-relief carvings of American Indians, this piece sold for $1,530. It may have originally been a decoration in a tobacconist’s shop.

 

Comanche War Game, a bas-relief carving by Paul Jarvis in Oklahoma, ca. 1970, brought $510 at the auction.

 

This action-filled carving of two American Indians hunting a buffalo, produced ca. 1910, sold for $638.

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