211

Verso:
Signed and titled in the artist’s hand
Label, Thomas Gilcrease Institute Exhibition

Shield of Her Husband was reproduced as a limited edition print by The Greenwich Workshop in May 1982.

In describing Shield of Her Husband Don Hedgpeth wrote, “Beneath a pale prairie moon, a young Sioux wife is drawn toward the sound of drums and the dance. She has dressed in her best and comes proudly bearing the war shield of her husband. She basks in the reflected glow of his honor and will hand him the shield in the morning, along with her prayers, when he is mounted and ready to ride.”

Terpning wrote, “This Sioux woman obviously is bursting with pride to be carrying the war shield of her husband. Her sureness of stride, her erect carriage tell of devotion and confidence. Cheyenne women were not allowed to carry the war gear of their husbands. The dress is one from my collection. The woman who first wore it must have been very tall…I’d guess six feet. The hide even today is quite pliable. The young woman who posed for me was a Yaqui from Southern Arizona, but she had features that I could alter for more of a Sioux look. The woman’s dress is adorned with pony beads, a trade item, and at her belt she wears a knife sheath decorated with porcupine quills, and an awl case beautified with beadwork.”

PROVENANCE:
The Artist
John Geraghty, Glendale, California, 1981
Private Collection, Aspen, Colorado, gifted to
Avenues to Independence Foundation, Park Ridge, Illinois

EXHIBITIONS:
The Great American West, Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, Arizona, November 1981
The World of the Traditional Western Indian in Mood and Landscape by American Painter Howard Terpning, Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History, Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 3 - July 7, 1985

LITERATURE:
Susan Hallsten McGarry, “Textures of Time,” Southwest Art (Houston, Texas: Southwest Art, Inc., May 1985), page 105, illustrated
Don Dedera, Howard Terpning: The Storyteller (Trumbull, Connecticut: The Greenwich Workshop, Inc., 1989), pages 68-9, illustrated
Elmer Kelton, The Art of Howard Terpning (Trumbull, Connecticut: The Greenwich Workshop, Inc., 1992), pages 70-71
Don Hedgpeth, Spirit of the Plains People, Howard Terpning (Shelton, Connecticut: The Greenwich Workshop, Inc., 2001), page 107, illustrated

Condition ReportOriginal canvas, no restoration.

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.