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Free shipping on orders over $99* (exclusions apply). Free scarf with collection orders over $300.
Free shipping on orders over $99* (exclusions apply). Free scarf with collection orders over $300.
This untitled oil-on-canvas painting is stunning and covetable on its own artistic and aesthetic merit, but the antique portrait truly draws its cultural significance and substantial worth from its provenance and origin story. The artist, William Robinson Leigh, is renowned in the world of Western art – several of his pieces are present in the Whitney Western Art Museum, part of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming – and this particular painting has extra prominence because it was a personal gift was inscribed and dedicated to his friend and famed artistic contemporary, Henry Sharp, a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, of which he is considered the “Spiritual Father”. It’s no secret that artists are commonly most appreciated posthumously (Vincent Van Gogh, anyone?) and when you find one in this condition at 100 years old*, well, then you’ve got something really special. It’s kind of like owning a piece of American history.
*Both the painting and frame have been professionally restored by a certified restorationist.
William R. Leigh was born in Berkeley County, West Virginia in 1866. Deciding upon a career in art quite early, Leigh enrolled in classes at the Maryland Institute, Baltimore, in 1880, spending three years there before moving to Munich, where he studied at the Royal Academy for over a decade, leaving in 1895. While at the Academy, he won the annual medal for painting six times in a row.
Returning to the United States, Leigh settled in New York City, where he made illustrations for Scribner's and Collier's magazines. He became well-established as an illustrator, but both the nature of the work and the limited subject matter made him anxious for new challenges. In 1906, an opportunity to expand the scope of his work came about when the Sante Fe Railroad offered him free passage into the West in exchange for a painting of the Grand Canyon. Leigh accepted the offer and, at age forty, set off through New Mexico and Arizona on a trip that yielded not just the Grand Canyon piece he had been commissioned to do, but five more canvases that were purchased by the railroad.
His focus was on the changing light of the Southwest, the pinks and purples that come into being when the sun sets over the mountain ranges of Arizona and New Mexico. Half-jokingly referred to as "The Sagebrush Rembrandt," Leigh traveled to the Southwest many more times to paint the landscape and people, though he never moved there permanently. In fact, he led a sort of dual life, as he and his wife, Ethel Traphagen, opened the Traphagen School of Fashion in New York, which taught clothing design courses. The school was cutting-edge, its owner and students claiming responsibility for introducing shorts and slacks to women's wear lines.
Leigh traveled all over the West, painting the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Forest. His primary area of interest, however, was the Hopi and Navajo Indians, who he painted every summer from 1912 to 1926. In 1926 he took his first of two trips to Africa, though African subjects never permeated his work as thoroughly as Southwestern subjects. A successful illustrator, Leigh started to experience real success as a fine artist starting in the early 1940s. A large and robust man, he was a vehement opponent of Modernist painting.
INDIAN ARTS & CRAFTS ACT DISCLAIMER
In the absence of a specific assertion or certification to the contrary, Double D Ranch does not warrant, represent, or suggest that any particular item or product which is sold or offered for sale by Double D Ranch in any forum or venue of sale is created or produced by any Indian or Indian Tribe, is an Indian product, or was created by any Indian arts and crafts organization as such terms are defined by the laws of the United States, or the laws of any other jurisdiction, including without limitation, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and rules set forth by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.
Double D Ranch supports the goals of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to prevent fraudulent advertisement, support truth-in-advertising, and prohibit misrepresentation in the marketing of Indian arts and crafts products within the United States.
VINTAGE & OLD PAWN JEWELRY DISCLAIMER
Many of the jewelry items we sell are antique, vintage, and/or pre-owned. We acquire these pieces from dealers in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada, who work exclusively with Native American jewelry and art. That means they had a life before we found them, and they may show evidence of that previous life; signs of wear, dents, scratches, oxidation, broken stones, etc. We strive to be accurate and transparent in our descriptions of these pieces.
Jewelry items are not photographed to scale. We’re not trying to be tricky, our clothing items aren’t photographed to scale either (imagine how large that catalog would be!). Please check the description for the item’s dimensions and feel free to email us with any questions.
We are not gemologists. We choose pieces based on their overall aesthetic and how well they accessorize the Double D Ranch collection. Due to the high quality of laboratory-made stones and the influx of fake “Native American” jewelry from the Middle East, we rely heavily on our vetted suppliers to maintain a level of confidence in the quality of stones, provenance, and authenticity of each piece. We try our best to accurately describe the stones in our jewelry items but cannot absolutely guarantee them.
We celebrate aging. In ourselves, and in our jewelry. We want the true age of the piece to be represented, so we do not perform any type of cleaning or polishing. If the item is oxidized when we acquire it, that is precisely how you will receive it.
