Pueblo, New Mexico
19th century
Sandstone, red ochre pigment
Provenance: Santa Fe trade; Larry Frank, Taos, NM
Flat stone tablets with incised geometric decoration are among the least-studied objects in Pueblo material culture, occupying a space between ceremonial altar objects, prayer boards, and personal sacred items whose precise function often remains unspecified in the collecting record. This example is worked from a flat slab of pale sandstone and incised with geometric line work in red ochre, including stepped forms, rectangular spirals, and angular motifs consistent with the visual language of 19th century Pueblo ceremonial art. The composition covers the face of the tablet with deliberate, unhurried line work that suggests a maker working from established convention rather than improvisation.
Larry Frank of Taos was among the most knowledgeable collectors and dealers of Southwestern Native American material of the twentieth century, author of authoritative works on Pueblo and Plains material culture, and objects from his collection carry considerable weight in terms of authentication and cultural identification. The Santa Fe trade provenance preceding Frank's ownership places this object within a collecting history consistent with 19th century New Mexico material entering the market through established Southwestern channels. The form, incised decoration, and surface patina are consistent with 19th century Pueblo manufacture.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Pueblo, New Mexico
19th century
Sandstone, red ochre pigment
Provenance: Santa Fe trade; Larry Frank, Taos, NM
Flat stone tablets with incised geometric decoration are among the least-studied objects in Pueblo material culture, occupying a space between ceremonial altar objects, prayer boards, and personal sacred items whose precise function often remains unspecified in the collecting record. This example is worked from a flat slab of pale sandstone and incised with geometric line work in red ochre, including stepped forms, rectangular spirals, and angular motifs consistent with the visual language of 19th century Pueblo ceremonial art. The composition covers the face of the tablet with deliberate, unhurried line work that suggests a maker working from established convention rather than improvisation.
Larry Frank of Taos was among the most knowledgeable collectors and dealers of Southwestern Native American material of the twentieth century, author of authoritative works on Pueblo and Plains material culture, and objects from his collection carry considerable weight in terms of authentication and cultural identification. The Santa Fe trade provenance preceding Frank's ownership places this object within a collecting history consistent with 19th century New Mexico material entering the market through established Southwestern channels. The form, incised decoration, and surface patina are consistent with 19th century Pueblo manufacture.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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