DALLAS, TX.- The way our world looks today is built on the sensibilities of gifted people who came before us. Artisans and designers have for centuries shaped our current taste; our very nature determines what we consider useful and beautiful, and earlier artists tapped into that reflex. The visual and utilitarian world we live in today is grounded in part by Indian, Pre-Columbian and Tribal makers whose creations – from yesterday and today – continue to inspire and mesmerize us.

On Nov. 11, Heritage presents an auction brimming with historical and contemporary offerings that collectors and institutions alike understand as significant. The weavings, jewelry, pottery, and tools that make up this auction are both reassuringly familiar and wonderfully new to our eyes.

“This auction encompasses wonderful works from across the globe,” says Delia Sullivan, Heritage’s Senior Specialist of Ethnographic Art. “The Americas, the Pacific and African regions are represented here by the types of older and modern forms that draw discerning collectors and organizations who act as custodians of our shared histories. This is an excellent opportunity for new and established collectors.”

A real highlight of this auction is a Navajo Second Phase Chief’s blanket, circa 1865. This is the classic period for such a weaving, and the dye test reveals that its rich and luxuriant reds are cochineal and lac and its blues are indigo. Very few of these exist and they almost never come to market; this one is in good condition and is accompanied by copies of two dye test results.

A Kiowa / Comanche beaded leather dispatch case, c. 1880 is another auction highlight. This exquisitely beaded leather hide pouch comes with provenance: It was purchased in 1940 by the current owner's grandfather, Louis P. Merrill, who was a director for the Soil Conservation Service; its previous owner, Victor Justice Evans (1865-1931), was a patent attorney in Washington, D. C. and extensive collector of American Indians artifacts. Selections from his collection have gone to J. C. Dykes of Washington, D. C. and the Denver Art Museum.




A large Apache double saddle bag, c. 1890 is also in this auction. Sullivan says that the hide bag, with its circular metal tag attached, is in excellent condition. From the same era, circa 1880, comes this Sioux beaded leather Strike-A-Light that belonged to the great Chief Spotted Tail. It shares its notable provenance with the above-mentioned dispatch case.

There are four lots in this auction that come from the Anasazi, a civilization that arose as early as 1500 B.C. and whose descendants are today’s Pueblo Indians. These enigmatic jars and vessels come from the M. Louise Beren Revocable Trust and have an exhibition history.

Moving into the Pre-Columbian category: Gold is the hallmark of Pre-Columbian work in this auction. A finely detailed and significant Tairona gold pendant, c. 1000-1400 AD., depicts a crouching figure grasping at its waist a braided rope or snake curled at each end; it has a head of a transformation figure: the mouth of a crocodile extending into a large bird beak. “That this is a masterpiece of its type cannot be overstated,” says Sullivan. Another Pre-Columbian highlight is an important Nazca Sihuas panel c. 100-400 AD from the Bolivian Andes. The large and magnificent cloak (manta), is handwoven in camelid fibers in a double-interlock technique in a dazzling array of colors: red, purple, brown, indigo blue, gold, and white. “Scholars suggest the design depicts the traditional Nazca anthropomorphic solar deity with splayed arms and legs,” says Sullivan. “The abstract face at the center has the ‘stream of tears’ connecting two rectangular eyes, so the figure can be viewed from either direction.”

There is also a rare Aymara feather mosaic panel from the Altiplano/Lake Titicaca region of Bolivia, c. 19th century. It’s composed of wood rods laced together, covered with domestic bird feathers (macaw, parrot, and chicken) in a technique called feather mosaic; this is an exceptional example. It is said to have been worn in festival dances, either across the chest or over the shoulders.

From the African and Oceanic regions come a significant array of iron tools, including gorgeous iron currencies of exceptional hammer work and details. These 19th to early 20th-century works hail from various parts of Africa, and the bat forms, blades, bride prices and staves boast attractive patinas and solid provenances.

Speaking of currencies from this region and era: An exceptional Yoruba torque (Nigeria, 18th-19th century, or perhaps earlier) is a star attraction of this auction; this large and exceptionally sculptural solid copper alloy is very heavy, in excellent condition, with a perfect patina of use and age. It is nearly a foot tall. “Authentic copper alloy torques of this size and quality are rare. This compares favorably to the one in the Brooklyn Museum,” says Sullivan. “Such items were the first true general-purpose currency known in West Africa, being used for ordinary market purchases, bride price, payment of fines, compensation of diviners, and for the needs of the next world as burial money. A torque of this size and quality would have been owned by the wealthiest or titled members of a society.”