Hello. I inherited this piece from my family & trying to get an idea of its value. It was painted by an Apache Native of the White River Apache Tribe. My parents purchased it in 1980 from a gallery near Pinetop, AZ. They gifted it to my grandparents around 1988. About 10 years later they gave it back as a result of downsizing their home. My grandfather built the frame out of a rare cedar and did so in a way that didn’t alter or damage the material it was painted on. Whilst in my grandparents possession they had it appraised. Apparently it was given a value in the neighborhood of $7k. Now I can’t speak for the accuracy of that because I’m hearing it 2nd hand & they’re all a bit older now. The artist’s first initial is “K” followed by what appears to be a trademark character which looks like a snake & then the last name being “Sloane”. Look forward to any feedback. Thanks.
Sand paintings used to be very popular. A Navajo medicine man will make make a sand painting during a ceremony on the ground and it will be destroyed after the ceremony. A sand painting like this is very different from a ceremonial one. It is a beautiful piece but I can’t imagine a value like $7k. Not framed you would think to see this around $100. I did a google search Native American Fine Art: Navajo Sandpainting Signed and found this painting for sale. You might compare sizes? The subject is more of what you would think a ceremony piece would include.