Sale 215 Lot 222

Munitarri-Krieger im Anzuge des Hundetanzes (Hidatsa Warrior in the Costume of the Dog Dance); Karl Bodmer, 1836–1843 Large-format lithograph, plate number 41 from Karl Bodmer's atlas accompanying Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied's "Travels in the Interior of North America." The bilingual caption reads "Munitarri-Krieger im Anzuge des Hundetanzes / Guerrier Munitarri costumé pour la Danse du Chien: (a Hidatsa warrior dressed for the Dog Dance), one of the most important ceremonial societies among the Upper Missouri peoples. The figure dominates the composition in a commanding three-quarter stance, adorned in an elaborate dance costume. The plate credits record "Ch. Bodmer ad nat. pinx." (drawn from life by Karl Bodmer), "Fuchs del." (drawn for the lithograph by Fuchs), and "J. Honegger lith." (lithographed by J. Honegger), reflecting the collaborative Parisian production process through which Bodmer's field watercolors were transformed into finished prints between 1836 and 1843. This plate is widely regarded as one of the supreme achievements of ethnographic portraiture in the history of American printmaking, capturing with extraordinary fidelity a moment of ceremonial life. Sight (as matted): 13 x 9 inches; frame: 19 x 15.5 inches
$250-350