About the Example Shown Here
These horses are a prime example of very valuable folk art. They were crafted by Peter Brubaker (1816-1898), an inadvertent artist widely acclaimed for his hand crafted and painted horses. He was born and raised in Clay Township, northwest of Ephrata, in Lancaster County, Penn. where this piece was created. Even though it has some minor age chips and cracks, it is still considered to be an excellent example of Brubaker’s work measuring 10-inches tall. Also adding to the sale value of this item was a letter providing provenance that it had been handed down through descendents of the Ebling family for five generations.
The pre-auction estimate for this piece was $10,000-15,000. However, it far exceeded expectations selling for $21,600 (not including buyer’s premium) at Morphy Auctions in February of 2012.
More Brubaker Horses Sold at Auction
Other single horses attributed to Brubaker, which were crafted in his signature style with stippled painting, applied ears and horse hair tails, brought formidable sums in 2010 at a Pook & Pook Inc. auction far exceeding their pre-auction estimates. Those two examples, in even better condition than the one shown here, sold for $20,145 and $26,070.
