Native American Oil Portrait

The name of the artist looks like O. Guevara.
Anyone can ID the tribe affiliation of the pictured man?
The portrait looks OK to me but I really like the frame. Not sure if the stains are from nicotine smoke.
Debating on the age of the piece. The frame appears to be old. Quite of crackling on the paints but don't see any discoloration on the back besides those stains. And what kind of canvas is that, never seen one like it?
Any thoughts?
Thanks you

 

Fantasy piece. Doubtful if there's a connection to any particular tribe. It could be tourist art from New Mexico or anyplace.

For reference, the famous 19th century photographer, Edward S. Curtis, spent years traveling from state to state photographing Native Americans. His work is in museums. However, he carried trunks full of costume pieces with which he would dress his subjects. Thus, you will see people from all different tribes dressed up in the same outfits - what the white population thought of as typical "Indian" garb. This is well documented.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_S._Curtis

 

Not enough beadwork on his buckskin shirt to discern any tribal affiliation , but he looks like he's wearing a Peace Medal, so it could be taken from a known photo.

 

my best guess would be a rendition of...
Wolf Robe (c.1838-1910) was a Southern Cheyenne chief and a holder of the Benjamin Harrison Peace Medal

 

Komokwa once again = Wolf Robe, from the internet

 

>my best guess would be a rendition of...
Wolf Robe (c.1838-1910) was a Southern Cheyenne chief and a holder of the Benjamin Harrison Peace Medal<

Very good guess Komo...!!! No doubt that is an "Indian Peace Medal" - circular or oval silver medallions usually with the face of the current president on one side. They were distributed to tribal leaders by representatives of the government since before the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806). The practice stopped at the end of the Benjamin Harrison administration. Wolf Robe did receive a Benjamin Harrison Peace Medal. There are pics of him wearing it.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/58/d8/a9/58d8a9c7a3cd868e5979e1630747b1d0.jpg

Here is a pic of Bacon Rind of the Osage wearing one:
http://www.firstpeople.us/photographs/Bacon-Rind-Osage-1900.html

Here is Chief Garfield of the Apaches wearing a James Garfield medal.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374713631470428939/
http://www.franksrealm.com/Indians/tribes/Apache/Jicarilla/pages/jicarilla-chiefgarfield.htm

Yellow Horse of the Arapaho wearing a Ulysses S. Grand "Indian Peace Medal."
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/f5/d7/f2/f5d7f25850715fc5c517a6d0c10164a0.jpg

Chief Little Shell No. 3 or Ayabe-way-we-tung of the Pembina Ojibwa wearing an Abraham Lincoln "Indian Peace Medal."
http://www.manataka.org/page688.html

I love the following one. It is of the Seneca Chief Red Jacket wearing a huge one presented to him by George Washington in 1792.
http://greatseal.com/peace/indianmedals.html

It seems 100s of these medals were given out. It was common practice for recipients to have portraits painted or pictures taken wearing the medal.

Now whether this is suppose to be a pic of Wolf Robe or not, I don't know. There are pics of Wolf Robe in similar deer skin dress and 2 feathers. If it is suppose to be Wolf Robe, it doesn't look like him in the face when or after he received the award. Wolf Robe was an older man with a narrower face than what this painting portrays. At the moment Wolf Robe is certainly the best candidate for this painting. I think??? Sioux also dressed and wore their hair in the same manner.



--- Susan

 

Wellllll, Bev beat me again with a pic of Wolf Robe. I'm way to slow mentally and physically, typing. I took way too much reading about these peace medals. I found it all very interesting. I knew about them but not the particulars and the many that received them. I like the pic of Wolf Robe you found, Bev, better than the ones posted.

--- Susan

 

like I said.....an interpretation...
Not an exact copy of any one photo....but this would seem to be whom the artist modeled his painting after.

My word....that's a man's man !!!

 

Frame looks old but artwork is newer. I don't know if this was intentionally crackled or if it has been mistreated. I have seen those bleed-trough lines on the backs of paintings that got wet.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.That is what I thought, frame looks older than the painting.
Verybrad, what about the canvas itself?

 

The canvas has a heavy coat of gesso or primer on it that bled through the back.