Lot 34

"Early Departure - Bent's Fort" Framed Painting by Martin Grelle

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"Early Departure - Bent's Fort" Framed Painting by Martin Grelle

Estimate: $85,000 - $120,000

Starting Bid: $60,000

(0 Bids)

by Rock Island Auction Company
June 27, 2026 5:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

"Early Departure - Bent's Fort" Framed Oil Painting by Martin Grelle Artist: Martin Grelle (b. 1954) Title: Early Departure - Bent's Fort Year Created: 2017 Medium: Oil on linen canvas Canvas Size: 36 x 48 inches Frame Size: 48 3/4 x 60 3/4 inches Signed and dated on the lower right and on the reverse edge This beautiful painting by Martin Grelle (b. 1954) reflects a lifetime devoted to the art of the American West. Raised in Clifton, Texas, Grelle pursued western subjects from an early age and was mentored by Cowboy Artists of America member James Boren. He was elected to the Cowboy Artists of America in 1995, later served as president, and is now an emeritus member. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous honors, including two Prix de West Purchase Awards and the Briscoe Museum’s Legacy Award in 2012, recognizing his lasting influence on Western art. Early Departure – Bent’s Fort captures a quiet moment at daybreak outside the historic adobe trading post often called the “castle on the plains.” A small group of Plains Indians, likely Southern Cheyenne or Arapaho, prepare to depart on horseback, wrapped in trade blankets and buffalo robes, as the soft morning light falls across the fort’s massive adobe walls. Their poised mounts and unhurried movement suggest the beginning of a journey, reflecting the rhythms of travel, trade, and diplomacy that defined life on the Southern Plains during the fur trade era. Bent’s Fort, built in 1833 by Bent, St. Vrain & Co. along the Arkansas River at what was then the border between Mexico and the United States, became the region’s largest trading post and a major hub of the buffalo robe trade with the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho. William Bent directed the company’s operations from the fort and strengthened ties with the Cheyenne through marriage. The post also served as a key destination on the arduous Santa Fe Trail connecting Missouri and what was then northern Mexico. During the Mexican-American War, the fort was occupied by the American “Army of the West.” Though abandoned by Bent in 1849, the site later functioned as a stagecoach station and post office in the 1860s and early 1870s. Today preserved as Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, it remains one of the most iconic landmarks of the historic American West, a legacy thoughtfully evoked in Grelle’s atmospheric portrayal. The painting is signed "MARTIN GRELLE/©/2017" and "CA" (Cowboy Artists of America) on the lower right and "EARLY DEPARTURE - BENT'S FORT" 36 x 48 OIL ON LINEN" and "+MARTIN GRELLE/© 2017" on the reverse upper edge. The plaque on the frame is also inscribed with "EARLY DEPARTURE - BENT'S FORT/Martin Grelle".

Manufacturer: None

Model: None

Class: Other

  • Provenance: Scottsdale Art Auction, April 2024; Private Collection from Arkansas
  • Condition: Excellent overall, a beautiful depiction of life at Bent's Fort on the western frontier.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000