Navajo (Diné)
Southwest, United States
1920s or before
Sterling silver with carved natural turquoise
1 1/8 in x 1 1/4 in (2.9 x 3.2 cm)
Provenance: Blackburn collection, acquired 1992; Martha Pillard, Honolulu, Hawaii; Christian Rub, Santa Barbara, California; Joseph Henry Sharp, Taos, New Mexico
A carved natural turquoise frog set on a twisted silver rope tray fitted with a suspension loop, forming a fetish style pendant. The frog is worked in the round from a single piece of turquoise, a blue to blue green stone with brown host rock matrix, natural pitting, and areas of exposed matrix across the back and legs. The stone retains its natural surface character throughout, with losses and voids consistent with the material and with age.
The frog is a long standing water and fertility symbol in Southwest iconography, and carved stone fetishes of this kind predate the wide use of silver findings. The carving here is mounted simply, letting the worked turquoise stand as the focus of the piece. Its scale and hand carving are consistent with early work.
This pendant is associated with Henry Chee Dodge (1857 to 1947), the first chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council, and descends through a documented chain of ownership from the Taos painter Joseph Henry Sharp. The nature of the Chee Dodge association, whether by making or ownership, should be confirmed with the gallery. The piece carries provenance through Sharp, Christian Rub, Martha Pillard, and the Blackburn collection.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Navajo (Diné)
Southwest, United States
1920s or before
Sterling silver with carved natural turquoise
1 1/8 in x 1 1/4 in (2.9 x 3.2 cm)
Provenance: Blackburn collection, acquired 1992; Martha Pillard, Honolulu, Hawaii; Christian Rub, Santa Barbara, California; Joseph Henry Sharp, Taos, New Mexico
A carved natural turquoise frog set on a twisted silver rope tray fitted with a suspension loop, forming a fetish style pendant. The frog is worked in the round from a single piece of turquoise, a blue to blue green stone with brown host rock matrix, natural pitting, and areas of exposed matrix across the back and legs. The stone retains its natural surface character throughout, with losses and voids consistent with the material and with age.
The frog is a long standing water and fertility symbol in Southwest iconography, and carved stone fetishes of this kind predate the wide use of silver findings. The carving here is mounted simply, letting the worked turquoise stand as the focus of the piece. Its scale and hand carving are consistent with early work.
This pendant is associated with Henry Chee Dodge (1857 to 1947), the first chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council, and descends through a documented chain of ownership from the Taos painter Joseph Henry Sharp. The nature of the Chee Dodge association, whether by making or ownership, should be confirmed with the gallery. The piece carries provenance through Sharp, Christian Rub, Martha Pillard, and the Blackburn collection.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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