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Come on. Big Village. Be Quick.
LOT 1117
Massive Documented Original “COME ON. BIG VILLAGE. BE QUICK.” George Custer Battle of Little Bighorn Oil on Canvas Painting by Donald Prechtel - Also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass or simply “Custer’s Last Stand”, the Battle of Little Bighorn goes down in history as both one of the greatest disasters for the U.S. military, as well as one of the greatest triumphs of
the Native American tribes during the numerous conflicts of the 19th century in the American west. The battle took place on 25 June 1876 when 700 men of the 7th Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer confronted a large Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho village along the Little Bighorn River. For reasons that may never be entirely known, Custer decided to divide his force, attacking the village with only five of the 12 companies under his command. The battle quickly took a turn
for the worse for Custer’s command as they were attacked by a force estimated anywhere from 1,100 to 2,500 warriors. Custer’s command was quickly overwhelmed in less than an hour of brutal fighting. Various accounts of the battle including archaeological evidence have yet to create a definite picture of how the battle played out, however, a clear and heavily romanticized version of events began to emerge almost immediately after the massacre,
a view which was heavily driven by George Custer’s wife, Libbie Custer. That version of events portrays Custer and his troopers
heroically atop a hill, fighting to the last man, while other accounts portray the battle as a panicked route of the 7th Cavalry troopers, who offered little resistance. It’s likely that the truth lies somewhere between those two, however this piece certainly portrays the latter, with Colonel Custer standing valiantly in his buckskin coat fighting to the end with his remaining troopers. The painting is titled “COME ON. BIG VILLAGE. BE QUICK.”, which is believed to be part of the last written order from Custer before he was killed. The piece is signed in the bottom right by Donald Pretchtel, who began his career
as a professional painter in 1968, being known for his historical paintings as well as landscapes and other nature. His paintings are featured in multiple museums and collections, including the Virginia Military Institute. Includes a variety of documentation regarding the original commissioning/purchase, original sketches, and correspondence with the artist, as well as a plaque describing the painting and some additional prints. Including the frame it measures approximately 48 1/4 x 68 1/4 inches.
CONDITION: Excellent, the painting itself showing only the slightest wear overall with vibrant color and detail. The frame shows an attractive intentionally aged gold finish overall with only the slightest handling/storage marks. This piece would make a fantastic center of focus for a collection of the American west!
Estimate: 9,500 - 15,000
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