107

VERSO
Label, The Rees-Jones Collection, Dallas, Texas

Lassoing Horses is listed as number 442B in the Alfred Jacob Miller Catalogue Raisonné.

The original purchaser of Lassoing Horses was Col. Brantz Mayer, a native of Baltimore, Maryland. An author and attorney, Mayer was a founder of the Maryland Historical Society. Lassoing Horses was purchased directly from the artist and had remained in the same family for over 170 years.

Miller found the Indians to be extremely good athletes, particularly when it came to horseback riding. Miller wrote, “On approaching the band, his body swaying to and fro, the noose part is flourished above the head, and as opportunity offers, is flung with great precision and dexterity around the neck or leg, whichever appears most feasible to the Indian.” The rope used in this instance is made of plaited bull hide and is “remarkably strong, pliable, and of sufficient weight for throwing well, about 25 feet long, one end generally secured to the rider’s horse.”

PROVENANCE
The artist
Col. Brantz Mayer, Baltimore, Maryland, ca. 1840s
Private collection, by descent
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, 2012
Private collection, Dallas, Texas

LITERATURE
Larry Len Peterson, The American West Reimagined: Gems from the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, 2021, p. 49, illustrated

Condition ReportAs viewed through glass. Paper appears to be in excellent condition.

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.