BRONZE STATUE OF AN OLD SHOSHONE MAN, BY NOTED WESTERN SCULPTOR RICHARD GREEVES

GREEVES, Richard Vernon. Old Shoshone man with ten-gallon hat and cane. Wind River Reservation, Wyoming, circa 1970. Original bronze, measuring 18-1/2 by 5-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches, rich, deep patina. $3000.

Original limited casting, number 19 of only 24 pieces, signed in the cast.

As a young man, Richard Greeves’ interest in Western exploration led him to read the journals of Lewis and Clark. Entranced by the details of this great expedition, he became intent to learn about Native Americans, and at age 15 he befriended a Shoshone girl who invited him to visit the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, where Lewis and Clark’s Shoshone guide, Sacajawea, is buried. From this first visit he decided to make a home among the Indians who had so graciously welcomed him socially, culturally and spiritually (he has lived with the Shoshones and Arapahos ever since). “Deriving a strong background of artistic craftsmanship from his Italian heritage, Greeves portrays through sculpture the character and spiritual essence of the people and animals of his chosen homeland” (Borsini-Burr Galleries). “There is a magic,” he states, “a mysticism for me here that I really can’t explain. I just feel it… In my work I’m just trying in my meager way to bridge this civilization with ones that come after us.” This 1970s bronze sculpture of an old Shoshone man reflects his character magnificently. Greeves’ work has been shown in such prestigious exhibits as the Prix de West and the Masters of the American West.

Fine condition.