2025 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction8 / 120  •  View Catalog  •   • 

Oscar Berninghaus (1874 – 1952)
The Advance Scouts (ca. 1915)
oil on canvas laid on board
40 × 30 inches
47 × 37 × 2 inches (framed)
signed lower right

According to Barbara Brenner, Oscar Berninghaus’ granddaughter, “Indians and horses show up early in Berninghaus’ career. Of all the Taos Society of Artists, his Indian ponies are among the most realistic, and although he was not a rider himself, he was able to paint them at rest and in action as if he knew every muscle and every temperament. This pair of riders could be scouting for rabbits for the annual hunt which is still being held each summer on the plains below Taos Mountain. It was important to Berninghaus that the Indians of the time be depicted exactly as they lived as a record of their history. He worried that they would become too Anglicized and lose some of the life style he respected.”

PROVENANCE
Private collection, Utah
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Reno, Nevada, 2023
Private collection, California

Oscar Berninghaus

1874 – 1952

The Advance Scouts (ca. 1915)
oil on canvas laid on board
40 × 30 inches
47 × 37 × 2 inches (framed)
signed lower right
$150,000 – 250,000
Condition ReportSurface is in excellent condition. Canvas is mounted to board. Inpainting at edges of frame and upper-left corner/right side.

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.