In the boom years before the recession, leading examples of American Indian art and artifacts commanded some huge prices, such as the $2.1 million paid in 2006 for a Tingit war helmet. It’s unlikely any of the 171 lots that Sotheby’s will offer on May 18 in New York will match that record, but there are some items of exceptional interest. Foremost is an extremely rare Navajo “chief blanket” estimated at $400,000-$600,000.
Another pricey highlight is a fringed and beaded hide Oglala Sioux warshirt that once belonged to Chief Black Bird. Along the way, curiously enough, the late etiquette queen Amy Vanderbilt acquired the shirt. Offered for the first time on the open market, it’s expected to sell for as much as $350,000.
Read more at Financial Times.
