2012 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction / Lot 15922 / 291  •  View Catalog  •   • 

159
Frederic Remington (1861 – 1909)
The Broncho Buster
bronze, Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. Casting No. 37
23 inches high
stamped under base: [Casting No.] 37; stamped in base: Cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. N-Y. 1898.

A July 2004 letter from Peter Hassrick states in part, “Given these observations and collected findings, it is my opinion that the Eiteljorg casting #37 of The Broncho Buster is a credible life-time cast.” A copy of the letter will accompany the lot.

In The Frederic Remington Book, Harold McCracken wrote, “Frederic Remington entered the field of sculpture as another means of perpetuating the American West. The image of the old-time cowboy and Indian of the Plains will live longer because of his effort and ability. Self-taught in modeling clay as he had been in drawing and painting, his first attempt resulted in The Broncho Buster. ‘I always had a feeling for mud,’ he facetiously explained, ‘and I did that . . . I wanted to do something a burglar wouldn’t have, moths eat, or time blacken.’ That first attempt at sculpture was acclaimed an outstanding success. Today it is the best known work of its kind by any American artist.”

LITERATURE:
Harold McCracken, The Frederic Remington Book (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1966), page 255, example illustrated
Michael Edward Shapiro and Peter H. Hassrick, Frederic Remington, The Masterworks (Cody, Wyoming: The Saint Louis Art Museum in conjunction with the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 1988), pages 172-5, 233,
back cover, example illustrated
Michael D. Greenbaum, Icons of the West, Frederic Remington’s Sculpture (Ogdensburg, New York: Frederic Remington Art Museum, 1996), front cover, pages 29, 47, 51-64, example illustrated

PROVENANCE:
Eiteljorg Museum of American indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana

159

Frederic Remington

1861 – 1909

The Broncho Buster
bronze, Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. Casting No. 37
23 inches high
stamped under base: [Casting No.] 37; stamped in base: Cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. N-Y. 1898.
Sold at Auction: $222,300
Condition ReportNo visible cracks or signs of repair, nice patina, rope near cowboy’s hand appears to have been broken at some time and twisted together.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.