Mud Head Clown - Koyemshi - Lot 13

Mud Head Clown - Koyemshi Zuni, New Mexico Carved wood, pigments, fabric, nails, leather H. 23 cm (without base) 20th century Provenance : - Néret-Minet sale, Drouot, Paris, October 25, 2002, lot 22 - Collection Léo Scheer & Nathalie Rheims, acquired at the above sale In the Zuni pantheon, there are 10 Koyemshi brothers or "Mud Heads", each distinguished by specific physical characteristics (horns, shape of mouth, etc.). The name "mudheaden" is explained by the presence of ball-shaped growths on the character's head. The Koyemshi belong to the Zuni family of Koko gods, and are considered the Sacred Clowns. As indicated by the Brooklyn Museum in New York, which owns a similar example (inv 03.325.4607), each of the Mud Head Clowns acts in the opposite way to what its name suggests. Thus, "The Old Man" behaves like a child, "The Invisible One" thinks no one will see him if he hides his face behind a feather, while the all-important "The Sun Orator" is actually a gentle dreamer who rarely speaks. A lively troupe of ten different Mud Heads appears at most Zuni ceremonies. These clowns are distinguished by their extravagant behavior and humor, so inappropriate that they end up being chased out of ceremonies by the Kachina Guardians. The clown shown here, adorned in a black cloth costume and with an expression charged with mystery, is an archetypal representation of the Zuni Mud Heads.