Kachina Wide-Faced Guardian - Wuyak Kuita Katsina - Lot 44

Kachina Wide-Faced Guardian - Wuyak Kuita Katsina Hopi, Arizona Carved wood, pigments, feathers H. 34.5 cm (without base and feathers) Circa 1900-1920 Provenance : - Collection Galerie Flak, Paris - Collection Léo Scheer & Nathalie Rheims, acquired from previous owners between 1999 and 2003 Probably one of the most spectacular works in the Léo Scheer & Nathalie Rheims collection, this masterful Kachina stands out for its presence and exuberance. This furious blue-horned figure would certainly not have looked out of place in a painting by Jérôme Bosch or a surrealist painting! Known as Wuyak Kuita (Wide-faced Kachina), he belongs to the Guardian Kachina family. He's a fiery dancer who carries a whip made of yucca stems (a plant of the agave family with stiff, pointed leaves). He uses it to keep the public off the paths followed by the procession of Kachina dancers, particularly during the Powamu ceremony in February. Accompanied by other Guardians or Warriors, this authority figure prevents any excesses during ceremonial dances, particularly on the part of the clowns. The ritualized opposition of Clowns and Guardians during Kachina ceremonies is seen by the Hopi as an echo of human behavior: if an individual steps out of line and commits reprehensible acts or acts not in keeping with tradition, he or she will be called to order or even ostracized from society. The whip-wielding dancers whose eyes bulge out and whose mouths reveal a wide row of teeth, as shown here, are often nicknamed "Angry Kachinas" by the Hopis. It's easy to see why this Kachina is both poetic and furious...