Missouri River Figural Ball Club

third quarter 19th century

handle having a scalloped edge detailed with 29 brass tacks; circular mirror inset on one side; steel blade; club topped with a running horse; red and green pigments

overall length 25 inches

The Missouri River was about as far west as the ball club was used. One or possibly a few carvers among the North Dakota Sioux produced magnificent hand weapons... during the last third of the nineteenth century... This one, 25 inches long, differs from other examples in that it has a running horse instead of a human head carved on it.

The ball has a blade protruding from it that originally was a knife blade. The inlaid mirror permitted the owner to use it as a mirror board (Hanson 1994: 36).

Published:
Spirits of the Art (Hanson 1994: 36, plate 35)

Ball has some repairwork

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Danica Farnand

Vice President, Head of Department, Native American Art

[email protected]513.666.4935

Ms. Farnand has helmed the Native American Art department since its inception at Cowan's Auctions in 2003, developing it into one of the most respected and successful departments in the category. Throughout her career, Ms. Farnand has sold over $50 million in Native Art, and has created focused and curated auctions for 19th and 20th century Native works, Jewelry, and Modern and Contemporary Native and Indigenous Arts. A distinguished expert in her field, Ms. Farnand is a respected voice in the ongoing dialogue between Native American tribal groups and the collecting community regarding culturally significant objects, serving as a board member of the Authentic Tribal Art Dealers Association (ATADA) since 2019, and spearheading the effort to return a sacred Ahayu:da wooden figure to its rightful home in the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico in 2020. She has also been an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow since 2016. Ms. Farnand holds an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. in Art History from John Carroll University.

Erin Rust

Associate Vice President, Specialist, Native American Art

[email protected]513.666.4947

Erin Rust is a specialist in the Native American, Prehistoric & Tribal Art department at Hindman.
Ms. Rust began as a specialist in Native American Art and Artifacts at Cowan’s Auctions in 2017, with a focus on Native jewelry and Midwestern prehistoric artifacts. She has also worked on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana and on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Ms. Rust holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design with a minor in History, concentrating in Native Studies, from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ms. Rust also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

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Ball has some repairwork

Please email for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Native American Art: The Lifetime Collection of Forrest Fenn, Part I

Missouri River Figural Ball Club

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