Charles M. Russell’s (American, 1864-1926) “The Rattlesnake.,” 1897, oil on board, 22 by 28 inches framed, was bid to $1,028,500, becoming the highest-priced lot in the auction ($250/350,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
HAYDEN, IDAHO — With 241 blue-chip lots by contemporary and historical artists, the November 9 sale brought collectors of Western and American art flocking to Coeur d’Alene Art Auction. Coeur d’Alene’s Michael Eric Scott shared, “The total realized for the auction was $3,841,511 and the sale realized a 99 percent sell-through rate with 239 of 241 lots selling. We had approximately 400 registered internet bidders and over 100 telephone and absentee bidders.”
Mike Overby, partner, added, “It went really well; it was a lot of fun from our end. It was really energetic, and having an actual auctioneer managing the sale was exciting. We were really happy with the results. Only one lot didn’t sell once the dust all settled.” According to Overby, the majority of buyers were private collectors in the US, though museums were very active as well and there were several paintings sold to London, Canada and Switzerland.
Notably, most of the top lots came from the Robert D. Reed collection in Jackson, Fla. According to a press release from the auction company, “Robert ‘Bob’ D. Reed was an avid collector. Starting as a child he collected toy soldiers and cowboys — items he still had when he passed away in May of 2024. His love of collecting would later develop into a passion for Western art… He appreciated the beauty of the art, acquiring works of both cowboys and Native Americans, but never together fighting. The story each work told was as important as the skill of the artist…It was with a sense of pride that Bob managed to build a collection over the years that included works by Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, and Andrew Wyeth.” In total, lots from Reed’s collection grossed more than $2.6 million.
“White Bluffs, Buffalo River” — also known as “Jon Boat, Buffalo River” — by Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975), 1973, tempera on board, 16 by 21 inches framed, soared past its $150/250,000 estimate to achieve $423,500.
Leaving Reed’s collection to join another after “a fierce round of bidding,” according to Scott, was the sale’s top lot — Charles M. Russell’s “The Rattlesnake.” Russell’s 1897 painting shattered its $250/350,000 estimate, selling to a phone buyer for $1,028,500 — the highest price Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has posted for a work sold in an online auction. Additionally, “The Rattlesnake” was recorded in the C. M. Russell Catalogue Raisonné and it was sold with the original bill of sale from J. N. Bartfield Galleries, New York City.
Achieving $423,500, the second highest price at auction for Thomas Hart Benton this year, was “White Bluffs, Buffalo River,” a tranquil river scene. The 1973 painting, also from the Reed collection and purchased at J. N. Bartfield Galleries, “will be included in the forthcoming Thomas Hart Benton Catalogue Raisonné being prepared by the Thomas Hart Benton Catalogue Raisonné Foundation,” according to the auction catalog. The Regionalist scene depicted three men fishing in a small boat on the river, surrounded by the high walls of the White Bluffs.
Even with the success of Benton’s landscape, cowboy and Native American art was the most popular, with most of the top lots depicting these subjects. Finishing at $157,300 was “Navajos on Horseback,” a circa 1930 oil on canvas by Edgar Payne. This work came from a private collection in Aspen, Colo.
“Navajos on Horseback” by Edgar Payne (American, 1883-1947), circa 1930, oil on canvas, 35 by 41 inches framed, realized $157,300 ($100/150,000).
Featuring a cowboy atop his horse riding through a dusty desert at sunset, William R. Leigh’s “Riding Cowboy” was bid just past its high estimate to achieve $ 121,000. The framed oil on board was signed and dated to the lower right and had a label from Whitney Gallery of Western Art (Cody, Wyo.), where it was exhibited in 1975.
A calmer scene, Maynard Dixon’s “Where’s Them Hosses?” depicted a cowboy and his horse at rest, looking across the placid plains. The auction catalog included the following description from art historian Marilyn Laufer: “‘Where’s Them Hosses?,’ dating from 1944, is an example of the artist’s mature work done in Arizona.” With provenance to the Reed collection, the work was sold for $ 96,800.
Earning the same price was “Winter on the Crow Reservation.” This 1904 oil painting by Joseph Henry Sharp was signed and dated to the lower left. This work came from the same private Colorado collection as “Navajos on Horseback” and had additional provenance to a private collection in New York. Another work by Sharp, “Crow Evening Camp,” went out at $45,375. This one shows a warmer scene, with figures sitting outside their teepees and some having a fire. It also came from the Reed collection, though by way of J. N. Bartfield Galleries.
“Winter on the Crow Reservation” by Joseph Henry Sharp (American, 1859-1953), 1904, oil on canvas, 25 by 34 inches framed, finished at $96,800 ($60/90,000).
Topping off at $90,750 was Frederic Remington’s “Two-Bits,” a lively oil en grisaille depiction of a racing cowboy with two others following a distance behind. “Two-Bits” is included in the Frederic Remington Catalogue Raisonné, and the title refers to the central figure in a short story written in 1889 by Captain Charles Albert Curtis, which was printed in St Nicholas Magazine and illustrated with Remington’s painting.
Thomas Moran’s “The Grand Teton” was another oil en grisaille that did well. Exceeding its high estimate of $60,000 to earn $66,550, the Western mountainscape was signed to the lower left and, according to the auction catalog, will be included in the forthcoming Thomas Moran Catalogue Raisonné by Stephen Good and Phyllis Braff. The work’s recorded provenance included the Reed collection and J. N. Bartfield Galleries, though it also bore a label for W. Graham Arader III, Atlanta, Ga.
Works by Old West artist Frank Tenney Johnson included the undated “Trail of the Paleface” and his 1934 “Moonrise Over Trail,” which earned $72,600 and $45,375 respectively. Both works were from the Reed collection and were signed to the lower left. “Trail of the Paleface” depicted a group of Native Americans on horseback in a light mountain landscape. “Moonrise Over Trail,” on the other hand, showed a white cowboy on horseback in the evening.
“Moonrise Over Trail” by Frank Tenney Johnson (American, 1874-1939), 1934, oil on board, 20 by 17 inches framed, closed out at $45,375 ($50/75,000).
While Western art was a clear theme in the sale, other works made an impression with bidders. Andrew Wyeth’s “Blueberry Hay” left the Reed collection, selling for $66,550. This 1982 watercolor was described in the auction catalog by art historian Martha R. Severens: “A guard dog chained to the barn warily watches the observer. The sharp angularity of the barn’s gable reinforces the dog’s alertness. The whole is governed by a strict visual geometry…” Jamie Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth’s son, was also represented in the sale. His “Alvaro’s Mower,” also purchased by Reed at Hammer Galleries, showed the rear of an old lawn mower in the grass outside a home; it went out at $60,500.
Albert Bierstadt’s “Sea and Rocks” made its way toward the top as well. Achieving $45,375, the dark painting depicted a turbulent sea crashing against rocky crags. The catalog noted, “Although undated, the subject matter as well as the style of ‘Sea and Rocks’ suggest that the painting was executed around 1872… His paintings of this coastal region, including the Seal Rock subjects, demonstrate his fascination with dramatic light effects, and his artistry in the handling of the roiling surf.”
Another category that did well, perhaps unexpectedly to the firm, was sporting art. Per Overby, “Sporting art did well in this sale and we actually set a world record for Owen Gromme with lot 40 which sold for $27,225 against an estimate of just $2,500 to $3,500.” This painting, “Building The Nest,” done in 1984, showed two birds hanging on branches making a nest.
Setting a new world record for the artist at $27,225 was “Building the Nest” by Owen J. Gromme (American, 1896 - 1991). The 1984 oil on canvas measured 19¼ by 23¼ inches framed and was estimated just $2,5/3,500.
Another surprise was the $24,200 finish for Robert Abbett’s (American, 1926 -2015) 1985 painting “The Quail Wagon,” which was estimated just $5/7,500. Overby noted, “It was good to see sporting art collectors come out for this auction!”
Additionally, Overby shared, “Alaskan art did very well, all lots sold at or above their high estimate. The Alaskan market has been very strong in the past couple of years and we see it continuing to grow.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, www.cdaartauction.com or 208-772-9009.
