Bob Scriver Cast Bronze Sculpture "On the Trapline," 1977

Item Details

Robert Macfie Scriver (American, 1914–1999)
On the Trapline, 1977
Cast bronze
Signed and dated in mold

Bob Scriver was born in 1914 on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana to Canadian parents who were operating the local mercantile shop. Though he was ingrained in Blackfeet history and culture from the beginning of his life, he did not find his artistic calling until his forties. His first interest was music, and he followed formal education to the Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Washington. Living in Chicago, Scriver made frequent trips to the Field Museum, where he found intrigue in taxidermy. After serving in World War II, Scriver returned to his home in Montana and opened a taxidermy business. The technical skill and the attention to detail he learned in the taxidermy trade brought him to the art of sculpture. At 46, Scriver started his career in art. He entered – and lost – a statewide sculpting competition, but won the guidance of German-Canadian sculptor, Charles Beil. Scriver established his own foundry, and began to create bronze sculptures of Blackfoot figures. By 1967, Scriver was affiliated with the National Sculpture Society, National Academy of Western Art, and the Cowboy Artists of America. He published several books including surveys of his work and Blackfoot artifacts, and received the high honor of being presented with the Little Dog Thunder Medicine Pipe in 1969. Scriver created small and large scale sculptures, and fostered a longterm relationship of commissions with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Later in his life, he managed the Museum of Montana Wildlife and the Hall of Bronze. By the time of his passing in 1999, these collections as well as his personal survey of Blackfoot artifacts were dispersed to museums in the U.S. and Canada. His own sculptures can be found in the permanent collection of institutions such as the Montana Historical Society, Rockwell Museum of Western Art, and the National Center for American Western Art.

Condition

- light marks and scuffs; patina; finish wear; dust residue.

Dimensions

Item #

ITMGC88263