Visually breathtaking, Fine Art of the West brings together the most artistically significant objects created by master craftsmen from the mid-nineteenth century to today. B. Byron Price, a leading expert of Western American art, explores the fascinating origins of these objects in the Old West, as the legacy of Spanish-American craftsmen and the workaday equipment of cowboys. The story continues as he traces their influence upon innovative designers employing them as a basis for a new, vigorous tradition in decorative art. Working saddles and their offspring, the trophy, parade, and presentation saddles, are discussed in depth and appear in stunning full-page reproductions, complemented by a definitive selection of chaps, cuffs, gauntlets, and gun leather. Price also focuses on quirts and other objects that illustrate artistry with hide and hair, as well as fine metalwork, including buckles, bits, spurs, and jewelry. Hats and boots, both workaday and fancy, conclude the survey. Contemporary craftsmen who carry on these traditions today are represented alongside illustrations of their work.
A glossary and bibliography complete this first comprehensive look at one of America's most fascinating forms of artistic expression.