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Lot 52

Fritz White
(born 1930)
Thunderbirds 65in high

8 February 2019, 12:00 PST
Los Angeles

Sold for US$7,500 inc. premium

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Fritz White (born 1930)

Thunderbirds
inscribed '© Fritz White 1/10' (along the base)
bronze with brown patina and silver plating
65in high

Footnotes

Provenance
The artist.
(probably) Acquired by the late owner from the above, by 1984.

Literature
S.H. McGarry, Honoring The Western Tradition: The L.D. "Brink" Brinkman Collection, Kerrville, Texas, 2003, p. 172, illustrated.

Among the artists whom L.D. Brinkman befriended during the establishment of his sizeable art collection, Fritz White became a close acquaintance. In one of the artist's letters to L.D. Brinkman, the artist once wrote to his patron about the present lot, recounting the hunting traditions of the Native Americans which inspired the subject of Thunderbirds:

"When the Plains Indians caught eagles they first prepared a trap in which the Indian could lie. The roof of the trap was woven branches and grass and leaves were piled on to camouflage the trap.

The Indian has a rabbit skin stuffed and tied to a stick that he can poke through the roof. He causes this 'decoy' to hop around like a wounded rabbit and the eagle looking around in the sky sees it. He swoops down and grabs the stuffed rabbit skin an [sic] the Indian grabs the eagle.

In the bronze, I want the eagle as close to winning as possible. The Indian has missed with his right hand, they hold each other with one arm and leg and fight like hell with the other. Had the eagle released the rabbit decoy as soon as he realized it was attached to the stick he could have made his escape. But - we still don't know who won!"1

1 Fritz White, unpublished letter, 29 July 1990.

Additional information

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