2015 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction / Lot 95221 / 290  •  View Catalog  •   • 

95
Charles M. Russell (1864 – 1926)
Meat for the Tribe
oil on canvas
22 × 32 inches
signed lower left

VERSO
Label, Amon Carter Museum, ZIN 386.61
Label, Chrisie’s, New York

Meat for the Tribe is recorded in the C. M. Russell Catalogue Raisonné as reference number CR.PC.333.

Rick Stewart, author and Russell historian writes, “The subject of an Indian buffalo hunt was very dear to Russell’s heart; to him it exemplified the romance of the American West in its glory days. During his early years in Montana Russell witnessed the decimation of the once abundant buffalo herds by market hunters. The remnants of the northern herds made their last stand in the Judith Basin, where Russell worked as an open-range cowboy. During his early development as a painter, Russell drew upon the work of earlier artists, especially for historical subjects that he could not have witnessed. He knew the work of Carl Wimar and George Catlin; from them he derived much of the information about Indian buffalo hunts. This dramatic example, likely painted in the mid-1890s, echoes Wimar’s paintings of the subject in its choice of composition. Russell’s version takes place on the high plains of Montana, with recognizable landforms in the distance. Here the mounted warriors are shown hunting the animals with firearms, but in later versions Russell would substitute the older weaponry—bows and arrows or lances—which would suggest an earlier time. In this depiction, a large buffalo bull has turned away from the fleeing herd to perhaps charge the pursuing warrior. Russell was fond of portraying dramatic situations where the tables could be turned at any moment.”

PROVENANCE
The Artist
Sid Willis, The Mint, Great Falls, MT
Private Collection, TX, 1945
[Christie’s, New York, Dec 5, 2005]
Private Collection, NY, 2005

LITERATURE
Souvenir Illustrated Catalog (Great Falls, MT: S.A. (Sid) Willis, n.d.), #7, illustrated

95

Charles M. Russell

1864 – 1926

Meat for the Tribe
oil on canvas
22 × 32 inches
signed lower left
Sold at Auction: $753,000
Condition ReportSurface condition excellent. Several specks of inpainting in the upper left corner of sky. Painting has been lined.

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.