Bronze Hound's Art Collection: Indian Battle by E. Weldon (unknown dates)

I purchased this small but highly detailed bronze on eBay along with one of my copies of Joe DeYong’s “Head of a Piegan.” There was no information accompanying this purchase. The seller had inherited the two bronzes along with a third (of a different subject that didn’t appeal to me) and knew nothing of them. This bronze clearly has some age and is far better made than even the best Asian knockoffs of other pieces that I’ve seen. After years of hitting a stone wall regarding my research into this piece, I’m posting it here.

I made up the title. All I know of this bronze is the name of the artist, or at least a last name and first initial. The work is signed "E. Weldon" on the front left of the base, rather prominently. There are no foundry, copyright or edition marks to be found anywhere on it. I have looked for even a mention of this bronze online and in books and have had zero luck finding another. This is actually not all that unusual when dealing with older, possibly antique artwork. What has frustrated me the most however is that when I try searching the name, the plethora of streets in this country alone named "East Weldon" bring up real estate listings and addresses running to many pages. Add to that the many artists named "Weldon" (including the sculptor of the Iwo Jima monument, famed sculptor Felix De Weldon) and the obituaries of citizens named Weldon who earned bronze awards during their lifetimes that search engines end up churning out a morass of unhelpful information.

Depicted here is a muscular Native American Indian man who is seated on a leaping horse. He is holding a bow in his outstretched left hand, his right close to his right ear as if he’s just fired an arrow. His long, partially braided hair streams back in the wind. Across his bare chest is the thong of the quiver which rests along his back. He is wearing a loincloth, fringed leggings and moccasins. He is seated on a saddle blanket on the back of his leaping horse, the reins are missing but the bridle is present, a minor oversight. The horse touches the base only at the two rear hooves, quite a feat for the sculptor. Beneath the front hooves and chest of the horse is sprawled another Indian warrior. He is also bare chested, wearing only a loincloth and moccasins. He has what appears to be a Mohawk style haircut, a raised crest of hair from front to back and shaved on the sides, or perhaps he's wearing a hair roach. His left hand is extended upwards between the horse's front legs in an attempt to avoid being trampled. His right hand is gripping the shaft of an arrow which is buried in his solar plexus. This is causing him extreme pain, as witnessed by his thrown back head and mouth in a screaming rictus. His knees are raised as he digs his heels into the earth, whether merely curling in pain or as a precursor to rolling out from under the horse is debatable. The bronze is mounted on a veined block of black marble which shows signs of age and handling.

I’ve never seen anything quite like this bronze before. It is quite small, comparable in size to Carl Kauba's smaller works, sitting comfortably on the palm of my hand, but the level of detail is stunning. The action is violent, moreso than the vast majority of bronzes of Western subjects in my collection. One can almost hear the hoofbeats and the cries of the two Indians. The expressions on the faces of the warriors show both the heightened emotions and the intense pain of the tableau. Had this been made larger, it would be considered gory.

I find this sculpture fascinating. When doing research, I always seem to gravitate back to it, to try again to find some mention, any mention, of it, well, anywhere. Every time I try however I get zilch. Now I toss this one out to the public. Any and all help will be deeply appreciated!

Enjoy.