251

Deborah Kay Butterfield

b. 1949

Horse, ca. 1985

steel sheet metal
76 x 105 x 40 in. (193 x 266.7 x 101.6 cm.)

  • Provenance: Private Collection, New Mexico

    Deborah Kay Butterfield is an American sculptor celebrated for life-size horses built from humble, natural materials. Since the early 1970s she's explored the horse as a stand-in for the human figure, favoring mares rather than heroic stallions. Circa 1985, this horse falls squarely within Butterfield's early scrap-metal period, before the driftwood-to-bronze works. In these years she built life-size mares from welded steel armatures, "drawing" musculature with baling wire and articulating planes with tin/sheet steel, favoring quiet poses and open, latticed bodies over heroic equestrian drama. The raw welds, heat discoloration, and hand-twisted wire are hallmarks of this important phase, when Butterfield transformed ranch detritus into poised, empathetic figures—works that established her voice and laid the conceptual groundwork for the later cast-wood bronzes.
  • Condition:
    A condition report for this lot is available upon request and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.

Shipping Options

Invaluable Shipping

  • Expert Care packing and Shipping
  • Shipment Protection
  • Real-time tracking

Arrange your own

  • You will coordinate with us to arrange your own shipping

Local pickup

  • You will coordinate with us and arrange pick up time after payment.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, COD (cash on delivery), MasterCard, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

November 8, 2025 1:00 PM MST
Santa Fe, NM, US

Santa Fe Art Auction

You agree to pay a buyer’s premium, as outlined below, and any applicable taxes and shipping.
Buyer's Premium
$1 - $1,000,000:
23.00%
$1,000,001+:
18.00%

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $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 + $10,000