Original Painting “Klikitat Warrior,” circa 1897-1901 [R]

Couse’s Klikitat Indian portraits from the turn of the 20^th century are considered some of the finest ethnographic and artistic portrayals of Native Americans in Western American art along with those of George Catlin and Couse’s fellow Taos artist, Joseph Henry Sharp. This particular painting has passed through the hands of two of the most important 20^th century dealers in Western American paintings—Steven L. Rose of Biltmore Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Forrest Fenn of Fenn Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The previous owners of “Klikitat Warrior” purchased the painting in the early 1990s directly from Mr. Rose at Biltmore Galleries. Fenn Galleries previously owned it and the inscribed title on the verso is in Forrest Fenn’s hand.

The painting is signed “Couse” at lower left. It is in very good condition. The canvas has been lined to remove stretcher marks from a former re- stretching to a smaller size. There is a very small amount of in-painting along the lower edge of the canvas.

The painting is framed in a 22K gold gilded hand-carved frame by Goldleaf Framemakers of Santa Fe.

Provenance:
ex: Private Collection
ex: Biltmore Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ
ex: Fenn Galleries, Santa Fe, NM