Cyrus Edwin Dallin, Appeal to the Great Spirit, 1913
Cyrus Edwin Dallin
1861 - 1944
Appeal to the Great Spirit, 1913
patinated bronze
inscribed: © / C.E. Dallin 1913 / GORHAM Co FOUNDERS QPN #59
21 1/4 x 14 3/4 x 21 3/4 in. (54 x 37.5 x 55.2 cm.)
Private Collection, Illinois
Literature:
E. Wilbur Pomeroy, “Cyrus E. Dallin and the North American Indian: Four Statues Which Express the Fate of a Dying Race,” Arts and Decoration, February 1914, p. 153; another example illustrated.
Rell G. Francis, Cyrus E. Dallin: Let Justice Be Done, Springville, Utah, 1928, pp. 33, 43–50, 52; another example illustrated.
Patricia J. Broder, Bronzes of the American West, New York, 1973, pp. 94, 98, pl. 96; another example illustrated.
Kent Ahrens, Cyrus E. Dallin: His Small Bronzes and Plasters, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995, no. 10, pp. 51, 106; another example illustrated.
Masterworks of American Sculpture: Selections from Members of the National Sculpture Society, 1875–1999, Fleischer Museum, Scottsdale, Arizona, pp. 20–21; another example illustrated.
David B. Dearinger, Paintings and Sculpture in the Collection of the National Academy of Design, New York, 2004, p. 143; another example listed.
Cyrus Edwin Dallin’s lifelong interest in Native American subjects was closely connected to his childhood in Springville, Utah, where members of the Ute community regularly interacted and traded with his family’s settlement. These early experiences had a lasting influence on both his artistic career and his advocacy for Native American rights. Throughout his life, Dallin became an outspoken critic of federal policies toward Native peoples and participated in organizations devoted to advancing and protecting Native American rights.¹ His sculptures similarly reflect his desire to portray Native subjects with dignity and humanity while addressing the difficult history of relations between Native peoples and the United States government.
During the late nineteenth century, Dallin began developing a group of four monumental equestrian sculptures exploring this relationship. The series commenced with The Signal of Peace, modeled in 1890, followed by The Medicine Man in 1899 and The Protest in 1904. The sequence culminated in Appeal to the Great Spirit, modeled in 1907. In this final composition, the mounted figure raises his face toward the sky and extends both arms outward in a powerful gesture of supplication. The work became one of Dallin’s most celebrated compositions and received a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1909.
The monumental version of Appeal to the Great Spirit was ultimately installed outside the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. After ownership was transferred to the museum in 1912, Dallin retained the right to produce smaller versions of the composition not exceeding three feet in height. The model was copyrighted in 1913, and Dallin subsequently produced an edition of 107 reductions through the Gorham Manufacturing Company. The present example is numbered 59 from this edition and bears Gorham’s foundry code “QPN.” The success of these reductions helped establish Appeal to the Great Spirit as Dallin’s best-known composition and an enduring image within American sculpture.
Condition
A condition report for this lot is available upon request (please include the lot number in your request) and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.
Cyrus Edwin Dallin
1861 - 1944
Appeal to the Great Spirit, 1913
patinated bronze
inscribed: © / C.E. Dallin 1913 / GORHAM Co FOUNDERS QPN #59
21 1/4 x 14 3/4 x 21 3/4 in. (54 x 37.5 x 55.2 cm.)
Private Collection, Illinois
Literature:
E. Wilbur Pomeroy, “Cyrus E. Dallin and the North American Indian: Four Statues Which Express the Fate of a Dying Race,” Arts and Decoration, February 1914, p. 153; another example illustrated.
Rell G. Francis, Cyrus E. Dallin: Let Justice Be Done, Springville, Utah, 1928, pp. 33, 43–50, 52; another example illustrated.
Patricia J. Broder, Bronzes of the American West, New York, 1973, pp. 94, 98, pl. 96; another example illustrated.
Kent Ahrens, Cyrus E. Dallin: His Small Bronzes and Plasters, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995, no. 10, pp. 51, 106; another example illustrated.
Masterworks of American Sculpture: Selections from Members of the National Sculpture Society, 1875–1999, Fleischer Museum, Scottsdale, Arizona, pp. 20–21; another example illustrated.
David B. Dearinger, Paintings and Sculpture in the Collection of the National Academy of Design, New York, 2004, p. 143; another example listed.
Cyrus Edwin Dallin’s lifelong interest in Native American subjects was closely connected to his childhood in Springville, Utah, where members of the Ute community regularly interacted and traded with his family’s settlement. These early experiences had a lasting influence on both his artistic career and his advocacy for Native American rights. Throughout his life, Dallin became an outspoken critic of federal policies toward Native peoples and participated in organizations devoted to advancing and protecting Native American rights.¹ His sculptures similarly reflect his desire to portray Native subjects with dignity and humanity while addressing the difficult history of relations between Native peoples and the United States government.
During the late nineteenth century, Dallin began developing a group of four monumental equestrian sculptures exploring this relationship. The series commenced with The Signal of Peace, modeled in 1890, followed by The Medicine Man in 1899 and The Protest in 1904. The sequence culminated in Appeal to the Great Spirit, modeled in 1907. In this final composition, the mounted figure raises his face toward the sky and extends both arms outward in a powerful gesture of supplication. The work became one of Dallin’s most celebrated compositions and received a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1909.
The monumental version of Appeal to the Great Spirit was ultimately installed outside the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. After ownership was transferred to the museum in 1912, Dallin retained the right to produce smaller versions of the composition not exceeding three feet in height. The model was copyrighted in 1913, and Dallin subsequently produced an edition of 107 reductions through the Gorham Manufacturing Company. The present example is numbered 59 from this edition and bears Gorham’s foundry code “QPN.” The success of these reductions helped establish Appeal to the Great Spirit as Dallin’s best-known composition and an enduring image within American sculpture.
Condition
A condition report for this lot is available upon request (please include the lot number in your request) and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.
