The people that received these in the 1900s kept them. Some of these were written to high-powered millionaires in New York, but he was still spinning stories about the West. Just the wording, he was a true cowboy, not pretentious at all. When you sit down and read these, they really make you smile. He was a wordsmith with his own unique dialect. But then as a bonus you get the letters he wrote. As a standalone piece of art, they are tremendous. He said, вЂњTheyвЂ™re collectable for two reasons: these are illustrated letters he would do these nice watercolors that would accentuate the story he was telling in writing. More than 100 letters from Charles Russell have survived, Overby estimated. The Taggareses were one of the largest farmers in Washington state before Peter passed away in 1999. вЂњThey did most of their collecting in the 1970s-80s, so these were fresh to the market,вЂќ Overby said. Overby said Ufer produced the fewest works of any early Taos artist, making them quite rare.ДЇrom the collection of Pete and Janet Taggares came three Charles Russell illustrated letters. вЂњIвЂ™d put it up against any landscape he has ever done,вЂќ Mike Overby said regarding вЂњGreasewood and Sage,вЂќ a 25-by-25-inch oil on canvas by Walter Ufer that sold for $665,500. It was exhibited in 1914 at the Dore Gallery in London. The auction house noted that the present work was likely painted upon RussellвЂ™s return to Great Falls, Mont. A show of RussellвЂ™s work was mounted at the Porter Hotel in Mexico City, which opened up an extended stay for the artist and his pack in Chihuahua with SeГ±or Terrazas, who owned the largest ranch in the country. The Mexican Vaquero subject was a departure for Russell, inspired by a trip he made down to Mexico in 1906 with his father, Charles Silas Russell, and a reporter. вЂњMexicans Leaving an Inn,вЂќ a 1906 watercolor on paper, 14 by 20 inches, realized $242,000. Other Russell works would prove desirable. As their food source became more scant, wolves shed any timidity and began attacking ranchersвЂ™ cattle. The work depicts three cowboys roping a wolf, a practice that gained traction in the American West when the buffalo herds dwindled. It has high action and great coloration.вЂќ In 1904 he became the best version of himself as an artist. вЂњAnd then it dated right to the beginning of his prime period. вЂњRussell oils are very rare,вЂќ Overby said. Nearly all of the buyers in the sale were private collectors, Overby said. His best was the saleвЂ™s top lot, a 1904 oil on canvas titled вЂњRoping A Wolf,вЂќ which took $1.77 million to an American private buyer. Russell with 17 works coalescing from various collections to produce a gross of more than $3.2 million. The star of the day was undoubtedly Charles M. The bid was the highest placed to date on the platform Bidsquare. The oil on canvas dates to 1925 and measures 25 by 30 inches. Oscar BerninghausвЂ™ вЂњThe Domain of Their AncestorsвЂќ traded hands at $847,000, settling into the second highest auction record for the artist. Artist auction records were set for Philip Goodwin, Edmund Osthaus and Peter Hurd. His lot average was $44,552 as the most modest priced work sold for $1,089 and the highest brought $1.77 million. Though the sale didnвЂ™t produce an auction house gross total record, Overby said it was among his best sales since the 2008 recession. We had to cut it off in May because we were getting close to 400 lots and we donвЂ™t like going over that amount.вЂќ

вЂњPeople held off selling last year due to Covid, so this year the demand was through the roof. вЂњWe had such a large demand this year for consignments, like nothing IвЂ™ve ever seen,вЂќ he said.

Mike Overby, partner at the auction house, said he was batting away consignments for the premier sale. вЂ“ On 394 lots, Coeur dвЂ™Alene Art Auction raked in $17,553,349 with 94 percent of all lots sold in its annual Best in the West auction July 31. Review by Greg Smith, Photos Courtesy Coeur dвЂ™Alene Art Auction The oil on canvas measured 15 by 20 inches and spoke to a time when wolves began attacking ranchersвЂ™ cattle following the US GovernmentвЂ™s program of killing off the American buffalo. Auction house partner Mike Overby said Russell oils are rare to the market, many of them held in museums and high-level collections. Charles RussellвЂ™s вЂњRoping A WolfвЂќ sold for $1,770,000.

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