For those collectors who can afford to spend a million and some change, this was a great year to score some fantastic pieces by Howard Terpning. The record-breaking Captured Ponies (above) hammered in for $1.7 million at Scottsdale Art Auction. (The auction house also sold Mystic Power of the War Shield for $1.3 million and Leader of Men for $850,000.)
Most of Terpning’s fans could not even come close to ponying up those dollars, but they could afford to shell out a few bucks for his retrospective, especially the first in more than a decade. And many of them did … with much glee and anticipation. Nearly everyone who got a chance to see the nearly 100 pieces spanning 30 years, the majority of which came from private collections, left with one word: “overwhelming.” That show may very well have been the last of its kind for many years to come, if ever again. To top it off, Greenwich Workshop published a book featuring the artwork in the retrospective. So folks who couldn’t make the trip still got access to the incredible collection!
This past year, whether rich or poor, many of Terpning’s fans got a big bang for their bucks.
Photo Gallery
$280,000
Rock Island Auction
September 9, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Extensive documentation and a letter of authenticity from Colt firearms expert R.L. Wilson provided key provenance for this revolver carried by Bob Dalton before he perished while he and his gang attempted to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1892.
$200,000
Heritage Auctions
June 10, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
The showman kept few reminders of his glory days on the Plains, save two weapons, one of which included this Remington revolver. When he gave it to his friend Charlie Trego in 1906, he wrote of the gun: “I carried and used for many years in Indian wars and Buffalo killing. And it never failed me.”<br?
$750,000
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction
July 21, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
This shirt is supported by photographic provenance of the Nez Perce chief wearing the garment in October 1877; we also know it is his personal shirt, not a studio shirt, because an artist painted a portrait of him in this shirt in 1878.
$475,000 (World Record)
Rock Island Auction
September 9, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Colt manufactured only 10 of the 16-inch “Buntline Specials.”
$864,000 (World Record)
Sotheby’s
January 20, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Colt’s classic animal designs likely contributed to this boost in value for the gold-inlaid 1849 pocket revolver; it beat out the previous record, for an 1836 Colt, set by Heritage Auctions.
$800,000
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction
July 21, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Although Johnson is more known for his pioneer moonlit night scenes of the West, works like this one, which offers an intimate insight into cowboy life, are still highly collectible.
The record-breaking Captured Ponies hammered in for $1.7 million at Scottsdale Art Auction.
$600,000
Jackson Hole Art Auction
September 15, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Portrays the lead character from a 1902 Western novel by a man better known as an illustrator than for his writings.
$2.45 Million (World Record)
Christie’s New York
April 10, 2012
$1.2 Million
Swann Galleries
October 4, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Edward S. Curtis’s 30-year odyssey to document the lives of America’s Indians is visual anthropology at its best. Many see it as the most ambitious publishing project since the King James Bible.
$625,000 (World Record)
High Noon Western Americana
January 28, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Not only was this the Mexican Revolutionary general’s last saddle, Pancho Villa’s widow gave it to director Howard Hawks while he was filming Viva Villa!
$290,000
Bonhams
May 1, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Collectors don’t often get a chance to bid on a newly discovered masterwork, as was the case after this painting was discovered in an estate sale.
$750,000
Scottsdale Art Auction
March 31, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
Since many of Leigh’s artworks portray action scenes, collectors gravitate to his contemplative Western canvases, particularly those reflecting the artist’s admiration for American Indians.
$375,000
The Russell
March 17, 2012
Why Collectors Love It:
This original watercolor came from the Renner estate; Frederic Renner and later his wife, Ginger, were the top authenticators of Russell artwork.
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