Wyoming Collection

Western art and works from a prominent Wyoming collection realized more than $4 million in sales at Sotheby’s.

On January 19, Sotheby’s offered artwork in a sale titled Western Art and Design from Bar Cross Ranch, Wyoming. Fifty-seven lots were offered, with 55 lots sold, producing a sell-through rate of more than 96 percent. The sales total was $4 million.

Thomas Moran (1837-1926), Green River, Wyoming, 1883, oil on canvas, 13 x 20” Estimate: $800/1,200,000 SOLD: $1,451,500Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), Blackfeet Sun Dance, 1903, oil on canvas, 12 x 18” Estimate: $120/180,000 SOLD: $114,300

“Western Art and Design from Bar Cross Ranch, Wyoming highlights exceptional examples of American Western painting, drawing, photography, craftsmanship and design. This cohesive collection tells the nuanced story of the American West through the lens of Thomas Molesworth, Thomas Moran, Edward Curtis, Charles Marion Russell and many of the nation’s leading artists and craftsmen,” Sotheby’s noted prior to the sale. “Led by a ledger book of Etahdleuh Doanmoe’s drawings, the collection’s holdings in Native American Art simultaneously showcases the artistic traditions of the region’s Indigenous peoples. This single-owner, mixed-category sale celebrates the diversity of medium and authorship that comprise the Western American art landscape.”

George Catlin (1796-1872), Stampede of a Buffalo Herd, circa 1846-48, oil on canvas, 19 x 26¾” Estimate: $60/80,000 SOLD: $82,550

Etahdleuh Doanmoe (1856-1888, Kiowa), Book of Kiowa ledger drawings from Fort Marion, St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1876 Estimate: $200/300,000 SOLD: $825,500

The top lot was Moran’s Green River, Wyoming, which had a high estimate of $1.2 million. After sustained bidding, the piece sold for more than $1.4 million. Other top paintings included two Joseph Henry Sharp works and three pieces by Charles M. Russell. George Catlin’s Stampeded of a Buffalo Herd (est. $60/80,000) sold for $82,000, just over its high estimate.

Arapaho child’s robe with incised and painted box-and-border design, 19th century Estimate: $25/35,000 SOLD: $317,500

Two Native American objects performed exceptionally well: an 1876 ledger book made by Etahdleuh Doanmoe (Kiowa) at Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida, sold for $825,000, well over its $300,000 high estimate; and an Arapaho child’s robe with painting sold for $317,000, nearly 10 times over its $35,000 high estimate. —

Sotheby’s Western Art and Design from Bar Cross Ranch, Wyoming, January 19, 2024 (including buyer’s premiums)
Artist Title Low /High Estimate SOLD
Thomas Moran Green River, Wyoming $800/1,200,000 $1,451,500
Etahdleuh Doanmoe Book of ledger drawings $200/300,000 $825,500
Arapaho Child’s Robe $25/35,000 $317,500
Joseph Henry Sharp Blackfeet Sun Dance $120/180,000 $114,300
Joseph Henry Sharp Autumnal Teepees $120/180,000 $101,600
Charles M. Russell Indians Herding Horses Across River $120/180,000 $88,900
George Catlin Stampede of a Buffalo Herd $60/80,000 $82,550
Charles M. Russell With a Good Hoss Under Him… $100/150,000 $76,200
Charles M. Russell Preparation for the Buffalo Hunt $80/120,000 $69,850
Charles M. Russell The Proposal $80/120,000 $69,850