SITTING BULL cigar store indian statue vtg tobacco antique native american sioux

Description

Samuel Anderson Robb (1851–1928)
A Young Sitting Bull
Life-size Cigar Store Indian Countertop Store Display
Pictured here next to a standard size 19th century tobacco humidor.
Early American folk art at it's very finest. 19th century
lifelike
tobacco store prop. He was d
esigned to sit on the counter, just left of the register, frightening little children with his *menacing glance while their fathers chatted with the clerk! Stands about 17" tall.
We are attributing the carving
to Samuel A. Robb of New York City who is best known for his cigar store indian & circus carvings.
Art historians authenticate paintings by the artist's brush strokes and this same technique can be applied to wood carvers. Search online for the super clear, magnified images of Robb's Santa Claus (carved in 1923) and compare the painting & carving styles. The eyebrow carving and the eyebrow painting are nearly identical (one with white paint, one with black). Same with the carved sharp-edged eyelids (identical!). And compare Santa's long flowing beard to this bust's long flowing head of hair (identical!). Compare the dent in the cheek (pic 3 above) to those on the back of Santa's arm. Also, this paint is raw/rough, identical to his Santa. Both carvings were spared a century of outdoor abuse and the original paint shows no signs of aging. This is best seen in the rough textured brown paint on Santa's belt which is identical to the rough textured browns on this bust.
Do the same with Robb's Lord Dundreary (carved 1880). Find the online images that can be magnified and compare side by side with this bust. Compare how the pupils of the eyes are painted. Also, the sharp-detailing in Dundreary's long flowing hair, most notably the identical center-hair-part found on the back of Lord Dundreary's head. Keep in mind that Lord Dundreary's hair is not quite as 'sharp' because it's had several added coats of paint, this bust has just its one, original coat of paint, as it left the artist's studio.
Again, with Robb's "Jack Tar" and "Baseball Player Show Figure": compare hair carving and the sharp cut of the eye lids.
As with most antiques, the bottom is the best way to authenticate an object. We have yet to compare the bottom of this bust with a confirmed Robb carving but they should have similar bottoms (pic 10 above).
*Menacing eyes. The finest trade carvings are animated and this scary fellow is
'alive!'
...he follows you around the room! We would argue that this is the finest cigar store indian to ever reach a public market!
The 19th century Yellowstone geyser painting seen in the photo above was painted on a large, rare cigar box lid in the late 1800s by an early American explorer. The painting is also for sale so be sure to visit our eBay store where we are currently offering a nice selection of other hugely important and historically significant pieces of Art. A five pound sterling silver "
Bug Basket
" from Buckingham Palace, the most-prized possession of the last reigning monarch of
The Kingdom of Hawai'i,
an artifact from
The White House
and Porcellian Club (the birthplace of Facebook) and the
first man to the moon's first appearance in Space
are but a few of our most interesting pieces.
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'highest prices first'.
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