Lot 79
Charles Marion Russell
(American, 1864-1926)
The Medicine Man
Sale 2105 - American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists
Dec 8, 2024
2:00PM ET
Live / Philadelphia
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Estimate
$30,000 -
50,000
Price Realized
$57,150
Sold prices are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium
Lot Description
Charles Marion Russell
(American, 1864-1926)
The Medicine Man
bronze with dark brown patina
signed C M Russell with skull cipher (on base, behind figure); also inscribed Roman Bronze Works N.Y. (edge of base)
height (not including base): 7 in.
Provenance:
Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York, New York.
Acquired directly from the above.
Harry B. "Britt" Brown, Wichita, Kansas.
By descent in the family to the present owner.
Private Collection, Kansas.
Literature:
Rick Stewart, Charles M. Russell, Sculptor, Fort Worth, 1994, pp. 240-44, another example illustrated.
Lot Essay:
Charles Marion Russell's The Medicine Man depicts a Blackfoot shaman in the midst of a healing ritual. According to Nancy Russell, the artist's wife, the figure is Sleeping Thunder, a character Russell created on the basis of either firsthand or anecdotal evidence. In his seminal text on Russell's bronzes, Rick Stewart quotes Ms. Russell's description of the work at length: "He sites on his robe cross-legged, facing the lodge door where the sick person is to be healed... His rawhide tom-tom is decorated with eagle feathers and as he beats a rhythm, he chants his healing song. Across one knee are other symbols of his medicine–an otter skin, a wolf's skull, and a bear's claw. The otter is cunning, the wolf is smart and the bear is strong, and Sleeping Thunder is invoking the spirits of these three animal to help him drive away sickness or 'bad medicine'" (Charles M. Russell, Sculptor, pg. 241).
Condition Report
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