Heritage Auctions will offer a selection of American Indian, pre-Columbian and tribal art in Dallas on July 8.
The sale will include picks from the collection of fashion designer Liz Claiborne and her husband Arthur Orenburg, two renowned collectors of ethnographic art.
![]() The rare Nootka bowl is believed to date to around 1800 |
Delia Sullivan, Heritage Auctions' head of ethnographic art, told Intelligent Collector: "It is clear that these art works were collected with a keen eye for art and design as well as a passion for the people and places from which they hail."
Among the highlights is a rare Canadian northwest coast feast bowl, made by the Nookta people in the early 1800s.
The rare piece is carved from wood and carries a valuation of $50,000-70,000.
The Nookta are so named due to a misunderstanding.
When Captain James Cook met with them off the coast of British Columbia he was instructed to circle around ("nuutkaa" in the local language).
Other lots include a Teotihuacan stone mask dating to AD 450-650.
It's an exceptionally well made piece, warranting an estimate of $20,000-30,000.
Sullivan said: "It was a career highlight to work on the Liz Claiborne and Arthur Ortenberg collection because it spanned so many cultures and artistic styles.
"Plainly stated, this collection has it all."
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