Following close on the heels of the million-dollar sale of the Andy Williams Collection of Navajo Blankets, Sotheby’s 22 May auction of the Arts of the American West realised almost $4 million. This was the first Sotheby’s sale to bring together the best examples of American Indian artistic traditions as well as Western paintings and works on paper spanning 2,000 years of cultural and aesthetic traditions. Top lot was a Northwest Coast polychrome wood headdress that almost doubled its estimate to sell for $425,000. Textile interest included good Germantown and Yei blankets, and a trio of so-called Chilkat blankets from the Pacific Northwest.

NORTHWEST COAST POLYCHROME WOOD HEADDRESS. Estimate: $175,000 - 225,000, SOLD. $425,000

TLINGIT CEREMONIAL DANCE BLANKET, Estimate: $50,000 - 80,000, SOLD. $43,750

TLINGIT CEREMONIAL DANCE BLANKET. Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000, SOLD $25,000

TLINGIT CEREMONIAL DANCE BLANKET, Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000 , SOLD $18,750

NAVAJO GERMANTOWN BLANKET. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000, SOLD $22,500

NAVAJO PICTORIAL RUG. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000, SOLD $40,625

DELAWARE BEADED BANDOLIER BAG, Estimate: $40,000 - 60,000 , SOLD $50,000

CROW BEADED HIDE WAR SHIRT, Estimate: $200,000 - 300,000, SOLD $341,000