Featured in this lot is this bronze sculpture titled "Appaloosa the Nez Perce Horse" by American artist Ben Johnson circa 1980; this bronze was originally created for the Award of the top Appaloosa Race Horse of the Year. This sculpture features a wonderfully and professionally crafted bronze mounted on a wooden base construction that shows a Nez Perce Indian directing some kind of wind magic to lift his appaloosa into the air. Ben bred, trained, and showed national champion Appaloosas–in both halter and performance. He was born July 13, 1916, on a homestead 13 miles from Provost, Alberta, Canada: and, in order to retain their U.S. citizenship, the family returned to the United States in the early fall of 1918. They spent that fall on Ben’s grandfather’s ranch east of Lamar, Colorado, where Ben spent boyhood hours listening to old-time cowboys spin their yarns and tell of their experiences and the pranks they pulled on each other. Ben’s family moved from Lamar to Wiley, Colorado, and in 1928 moved to the Grand Junction area on the western slope of Colorado. Ben graduated from Appleton High School, where he lettered in sports, and then set out to see the country. He traveled to New York City, Washington D.C., the Everglades, New Orleans, Mexico and California — working at odd jobs along the way. He tried dishwashing, waiting tables, and even pickin’ cotton. During this time, however, he always carried a small set of carving tools and in his spare time he’d carve “mostly plaques”. In 1941, Ben married Dorothy Eastman and they settled down to raising cattle, Appaloosa Horses, and kids–which left no time for carving. By 1973 the children were grown and married, Ben had curtailed his Appaloosa program, and so he dug out the clay George had given him and decided to see what he could do. He finally came up with a small piece he called “The Challenge”, and Ben took it to the Phippen Bronze Foundry at Prescott, Az. Ernie Phippen took one look at and said “cast it” An edition of 12 were cast, and all were soon sold out. Some western artists copy Charlie Russell, some research by talking to cowboys or reading about them, and some have lived the part. Ben belongs to those “boys that have been there.” He knows the west from the back of a good saddle horse, and lived the life himself. And he has been around long enough to have talked to many of the real old-timers. The condition of this bronze sculpture is well preserved with no obvious signs of damage and shows a well preserved overall condition. The measurements of this bronze sculpture is 18 1/2" x 17" x 14". The collective weight of this bronze sculpture is 29lb 12oz.