Sculptor - Les Welliver

Title - Indian

Lost Wax Cast Bronze 
cast 1 of 30 
 Circa 1967

14 3/4" height (with base) 
(37.5 cm )
Price $425.00

Les Welliver (1920-1989) was a contemporary American Western sculptor born in North Dakota who lived and worked in Kalispell, Montana. In the early 1960s Les did a large scale carved wood mural of the Old West for waiting room of the Lockridge Medical Clinic in Whitefish MT that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. He also carved the Risen Christ figure and the tabernacle door of the Risen Christ Catholic Parrish in Kalispell. Les was best known for his wood carvings of Indians and his Western theme and wildlife bronze sculptures.

This unusual bronze is a caricature of a Native American Indian standing with his spear. His proportions show that this is not a serious sculpture and is of a more humorous nature. The bronze is signed, dated 1967, and numbered 1 of 30. It is mounted on a 2 1/4" thick piece of polished desert wood.

It is doubtful that the full run of 30 bronzes in this edition were ever cast due to the high cost of bronze foundry work. Most likely only 2 or 3 casts were made, which makes this a rare piece. A different Western sculpture by a talented sculptor, this fellow would be enjoyed by any collector with a sense of humor. 

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