Hopi, Arizona
Circa 1940s
Wood, pigment
Height 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, Arizona
The Tsaf katsina is a clown figure within the Hopi ceremonial cycle, distinguished by its painted mask and association with the Tsatsayam clown society that appears during certain dances to provide comic counterpoint to the more formal katsina proceedings. This example dates to the circa 1940s and is carved in a compact, upright posture with the face rendered in the painted mask form that identifies the figure type. Mid-20th-century Hopi carvings of this period occupy a position between the earlier instructional figures and the later highly polished tourist market production.
The figure stands 11 3/4 inches and is painted in the pigments typical of the period. The compact scale is consistent with carvings produced for use and exchange during the active Hopi ceremonial calendar of the 1940s rather than purely decorative production. The piece comes from a private Tucson collection.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Hopi, Arizona
Circa 1940s
Wood, pigment
Height 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, Arizona
The Tsaf katsina is a clown figure within the Hopi ceremonial cycle, distinguished by its painted mask and association with the Tsatsayam clown society that appears during certain dances to provide comic counterpoint to the more formal katsina proceedings. This example dates to the circa 1940s and is carved in a compact, upright posture with the face rendered in the painted mask form that identifies the figure type. Mid-20th-century Hopi carvings of this period occupy a position between the earlier instructional figures and the later highly polished tourist market production.
The figure stands 11 3/4 inches and is painted in the pigments typical of the period. The compact scale is consistent with carvings produced for use and exchange during the active Hopi ceremonial calendar of the 1940s rather than purely decorative production. The piece comes from a private Tucson collection.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
