Carnival shooting gallery target showing female lion tamer, c.1890, estimate $5000-10,000 at Soulis.
A somewhat niche interest perhaps, the collection was described by the Kansas City saleroom as “arguably the finest of its type”.
More targets are on offer in the Mid- Americana Gallery Auction on December 10, rubbing shoulders with weather vanes and folk art.
The most unusual example is this 4ft 1in (1.24m) tall naïve artwork on sheet metal that depicts a female lion tamer standing face to face with a rampant lion. Made c.1890, the impressive target is probably of English or Continental European origin and has a clever mechanical action: a successful shot to the bull’s-eye causes the lady’s arm to lower and the lion’s jaw to open, revealing fearsome upper and lower teeth.
Estimate $5000-10,000.
