Oct

MORE on BLACK PIPE #2 ~ How The SIOUX Brave returned to South Dakota.

I RECEIVED AN EMAIL on September 24, 2023 FROM:

Kevin James Kirby in California

Dear Mr. Leininger,

Greetings from California. I would like to thank you for your excellent website on the artist Hermon A. MacNeil. I found the information therein both interesting and helpful.

That said, the real reason why I am writing is to alert you to the fact that I am about to sell a

very rare 1894 bronze sculpture of

Black Pipe.

It is only the second presently known to be in existence
(the other being well documented

on your website).

To this, I replied the next morning that I was VERY interested in purchasing this rare MacNeil piece.

Later I received a response from Kevin:

Good morning Mr. Leininger,

Thank you for your reply. And how fortuitous that Black Pipe is so present in your thoughts!

My wife (PhD in art history ) and I (Bachelor of Science in sculpture) are both keen enthusiasts of art and history.

We have read almost all the associated literature, and have discussed this piece with various academics and institutions.

Indeed, Black Pipe’s is an incredible origin story — as is MacNeil’s.

KEVIN WENT ON TO OFFER SOME

VERBAL PROVENANCE OF THE PIECE

As part of our private research, I have also been in direct contact with the

Lakota Sioux Nation at Standing Rock.

I was lucky enough to visit the Reservation in 2020,

and inquire directly about Black Pipe.

There I met an elder who remembered hearing about Black Pipe, who apparently was a member of the Rosebud Reservation, just south of Standing Rock.

However, unfortunately, the timing of the pandemic
necessitated the closure of the reservations, and

prevented further research;

and I have been unable to return since.

Needless to say, the story embodied within

this sculpture is close to my heart!

And it is not lightly that I let go this artwork to a new owner.

However, as our private collection grows, it moves in new directions…