Kachina God of Heaven - Sotuknangu Katsina (variant) - Lot 6

Kachina God of Heaven - Sotuknangu Katsina (variant) Attributed to Hopi sculptor and chief Wilson Tawaquaptewa (1873-1960) Hopi, Arizona Carved wood, pigments H. 24 cm (without base) Circa 1930 Provenance : - Collection Galerie Flak, Paris - Collection Léo Scheer & Nathalie Rheims, acquired from previous owners between 1999 and 2003 Exceptional large Kachina figure whose color palette, marked presence of black dots and style are characteristic of the work of Wilson Tawaquaptewa (1873-1960). Tawaquaptewa was an important Hopi religious leader from the village of Oraibi and a major artist in the Amerindian world in the first half of the 20th century. Wilson Tawaquaptewa's work, while rigorously based on traditional Kachina carving techniques, generally blended motifs from ancestral Hopi symbolism with elements of his own creation (combinations of shapes, motifs and colors). In this case, the face, the warrior's marks on the cheeks and the spike at the top of the head recall the representation of the Kachina God of the Center of Heaven, Sotuknangu. However, the dominant black, the undulating kilt motif evoking the Serpent Dance dear to Aby Warburg or André Breton, and the multitude of black dots are creative flashes typical of the brilliant Tawaquaptewa. For further information on this key artist of Hopi art, please refer to the chapter "Wilson Tawaquaptewa's unique Kachinas" by Barry Walsh in the aforementioned bookL'Appel des Kachinas - Katsina Calling.