19th C. American Painting - "When Buffalo was King"

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Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Nov 10, 2022

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• Lot Description
  American oil on canvas - "When Buffalo was King" ca. late 19th century. Impressive and quite touching, a large-scale painting depicting three bison grazing on snow-covered prairie lands in the American West with the rest of the herd rendered in the middle distance and majestic mountain peaks beyond. Inscribed in black paint at the bottom center of the composition is the poignant title, "When Buffalo was King" suggesting that the artist painted this piece following the dramatic demise of bison due to hunting and the erection of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 19th century. Connoting a sense of longing and nostalgia for the past, the composition is finely painted with loose brushwork, a gorgeous color palette (countless shades of blue and green as well as warm earthtones), effective illusionism as well as convincing atmospheric perspective, and an air of wistful longing for a time "When Buffalo was King". A compelling painting set in a custom frame with an attractive burled wood finish. Size of painting: 46.3" W x 28.9" H (117.6 cm x 73.4 cm) Size of frame: 50.7" W x 33" H (128.8 cm x 83.8 cm)
  
  In the mid 19th century, majestic herds of bison roamed the plains - an estimated 20 to 60 million buffalo - so many that the sound they produced together inspired the phrase "Thunder of the Plains". Unfortunately, trappers opted to hunt bison once they decimated the beaver populations, trading buffalo tongues and robes. The rise of the Transcontinental Railroad sped up the destruction of the buffalo population, and some have estimated that 200,000 buffalo were killed on an annual basis during these years.
  
  According to Gilbert King's Smithsonian Magazine article, "Massive hunting parties began to arrive in the West by train, with thousands of men packing .50 caliber rifles, and leaving a trail of buffalo carnage in their wake. Unlike the Native Americans or Buffalo Bill, who killed for food, clothing and shelter, the hunters from the East killed mostly for sport. Native Americans looked on with horror as landscapes and prairies were littered with rotting buffalo carcasses. The railroads began to advertise excursions for 'hunting by rail,' where trains encountered massive herds alongside or crossing the tracks. Hundreds of men aboard the trains climbed to the roofs and took aim, or fired from their windows, leaving countless 1,500-pound animals where they died." (Gilbert King. "Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed: The Transcontinental Railroad connected East and West - and accelerated the destruction of what had been in the center of North America" Smithsonian Magazine July 17, 2012)
  
  Sadly, by the close of the 19th century, only 300 bison existed in the wild. Congress eventually outlawed the hunting of birds and animals in Yellowstone National Park, where they could protect the sole surviving herd of buffalo. More wildlife preserves were established by conservationists, and today more than 200,000 buffalo live in North America. (Source: Gilbert King. "Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed: The Transcontinental Railroad connected East and West - and accelerated the destruction of what had been in the center of North America" Smithsonian Magazine July 17, 2012)
  
  Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #174726

  Condition

  Title inscribed in black paint at lower center. Expertly repaired in small area above buffalo; not visible in composition but patching visible on verso. Barely noticeable indentation near top of hill and some expected aging / craquelure to paint. Otherwise, painting is in excellent overall condition.
• Shipping Info

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