Kachina Black Ogre with white spots - Lot 24

Kachina Black Ogre with white spots Hopi, Arizona Carved wood, polychromy H. 18 cm (without base) 20th century Provenance : - Léo Scheer & Nathalie Rheims Collection This representation of a black ogre with white spots is very close to a well-known example in the André Breton collection (inv. 4598000, exhibited and reproduced in "La Danse des Kachina" plate 21, 1998). Kachinas of this type can be found in other collections assembled in the first half of the 20th century (notably that of Elizabeth Willis de Huff of Santa Fe). It's not easy to identify this figure in the Hopi pantheon. Its large, stretched mouth and the black color of its costume point to the Ogre family, but we can't be more precise. It's possible that this type of sculpture was made for the trade. Whatever the case, this humorous, poetic figure, studded with dots, is a real eye-catcher.