Scarce Native American portrait Galvanos on offer June 13-18
A selection of unique artistic Native American Portrait Galvanos created by Edward Warren Sawyer during the early 20th century will come before bidders during Heritage Auctions’ auctions at the Long Beach coin show, June 13-18.
DALLAS – A rare group of artist Edward Warren Sawyer’s Native American Portrait Galvanos, heralded as both artistic and historic contributions to American art, will be offered by Heritage Auctions June 13-18 in Long Beach, California. The bulk of his work dates to between 1904 and 1912. Scholars credit Sawyer’s skilled ability to capture a subject’s likeness for setting a highpoint in the field of medallic art.
Rare Availability of Galvanos
“The majority of these galvanos reside in museums and it is highly unusual to see any examples offered at auction,” said Mark Borckardt, Senior Numismatist at Heritage Auctions. “Previously, only two examples have appeared for public sale to the best of our knowledge.”
A galvano is a uniface rendering with the back typically filled with lead or another material to provide support. The galvanos come in two sizes, 2-3/4-inch diameter and 5-inch diameter. There are 38 different subjects and 41 varieties of Sawyer’s portraits known today. The Medallic Art Company produced the galvanos from Sawyer’s models.
Museums and institutions holding examples of Sawyer’s galvanos include the American Numismatic Society. As well as the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Massachusetts Historical Society. Plus, the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and the Smithsonian Institution. In addition, his work appears at the University of Reno and the Whitney Western Art Museum in Cody, Wyoming.
Learning Through Research
Sawyer was trained at the Art Institute of Chicago under the tutelage of Hermon MacNeil, the famed designer of the Standing Liberty quarter. He later studied at the Académie des Beaux Arts in France before embarking on three visits to the American West. He visited members of the Yuma tribe but was only successful in convincing member Ne-I-So-Meh to pose for him.
Sawyer completed several portraits of members of the Navajo nation. Included in the auction are galvanos depicting At-Zi-Di, Ish-ki-La-Cai andEst-Zan-Lopa, whom Sawyer described as “a little girl blanket weaver.” The group also includes a galvano of a 63-year-old Native American named Capitan and one named Quinlichini-Nez.
The selection of Sawyer’s work appearing in the auction also includes members of the Pawnee, Cheyenne, Wichita, Oglala Sioux, Osage, Kikapoo, Arapahoe and Crow nations, the last including Curley, the famous Crow scout for George Armstrong Custer.
For more information, visit www.ha.com.
