Santo Domingo Depression Thunderbird Mosaic Necklace

Santo Domingo (Kewa)

American Southwest

1930s

Shell heishi, turquoise, and mosaic inlay

Necklace length 28 in / 71 cm, pendant 2 1/4 in / 5.7 cm

Provenance: Private collection

This Santo Domingo necklace is a Depression era piece strung with white shell heishi and hung with a row of graduated tab drops leading to a central thunderbird pendant. Each tab and the thunderbird are mosaic inlaid with turquoise chip, white shell, and dark material set into a backing, the thunderbird showing turquoise wings with a red head and tail. During the 1930s, Santo Domingo artists worked such mosaic from trade and salvaged materials, continuing Pueblo inlay through a period of economic hardship.

The mosaic is built up from small pieces of stone and shell laid flush over a dark ground, giving the thunderbird its blocked color. The graduated tabs step down in size from the back to the pendant, framing the bird at the center front. At 28 inches with a 2 1/4 inch pendant, it carries the recognizable Depression era Kewa character across the full strand.

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