#54 • Eustace Paul Ziegler Oil Painting of Lower Kuskokwim Eskimo Man

Part of June 2026 Premier Auction (live auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $1,700.00

Status: Sold

Category: Art

An original impasto oil painting on canvas by renowned Alaska master Eustace Paul Ziegler (1881-1969), depicting a proud Lower Kuskokwim Eskimo man shown in profile and gazing thoughtfully into the distance. Rendered with confident palette knife work and expressive brushwork, the sitter is dressed in a white fur-trimmed parka accented by rich brown pelts and a gold hoop earring, his features emerging from a luminous field of cool whites and pale blues. The restrained composition focuses entirely upon the character and dignity of the subject, exemplifying the painterly immediacy and impressionistic handling that collectors most admire in Ziegler's portrait studies. Born in Michigan and academically trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Royal Academy in Munich, Ziegler arrived in Alaska in 1924 to teach art at the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines in Fairbanks. Captivated by Alaska and its people, he remained in the territory for the rest of his life and became one of the four pioneering painters later celebrated as the "Alaska Four," alongside Sydney Laurence, Ted Lambert, and Jules Dahlager. Through decades of travel and close friendships with Native communities, Ziegler created an enduring visual record of Alaska Native life, producing some of the most recognizable and historically important paintings in the state's artistic tradition. Today, his works reside in major museums and distinguished private collections, with exceptional examples achieving six-figure auction results. Portraits of Alaska Native men and women are among the artist's most frequently encountered and immediately recognizable subjects. Their enduring appeal lies not only in their historical significance, but in Ziegler's remarkable ability to capture personality and humanity through a few bold strokes of paint. The present work possesses a freshness and spontaneity characteristic of his finest studies, while the famous cache monogram accompanying the signature further enhances its desirability. Signed lower right with Ziegler's celebrated cache monogram and housed in a bronze-toned wooden frame. The painting displays a small area of paint loss in the upper right portion of the sky as photographed. Overall measurements are approximately 13.25" x 11.25", with an image sight size of 10" x 8". Provenance: J. Franklin Fine Art, Inc. - Seattle, WA The collection of Charles (Charlie) McAlpine (1932-2019) Private collection, Anchorage, AK