Bone Throne

James Lee Hardman Jr.
American, b. [1987]

Bone Throne
Dominion Vein
Executed in [2015]
The Hardman Collection

Dominion Vein exemplifies James Lee Hardman Jr.’s Abstract Vein methodology—a visual language defined by tension, hierarchy, and the raw circuitry of power. In this work, Hardman replaces the traditional symbol of sovereignty with a distorted bone form, a gesture that collapses the divide between civilization and instinct. The crown, long associated with inherited authority, is reimagined as a primal relic—suggesting that power is not bestowed, but seized, survived, and earned.

Rendered in Hardman’s signature gestural strokes and high-contrast palette, the composition oscillates between figuration and abstraction. The central canine form functions as both totem and mirror, evoking dominance, loyalty, and territorial order. Vein-like marks pulse across the surface, reinforcing Hardman’s recurring exploration of internal systems—biological, social, and psychological—that govern behavior beneath constructed hierarchies.