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Delia's Picks
Delia Sullivan | Specialist, Ethnographic Art
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By everyone's estimation Hopi artist Charles Loloma is a star. He is an expert lapidarist, one who is able to transform raw materials into exquisite jewelry items. At once his artworks are contemporary and classic, as they often feature abstract depictions of traditional Hopi designs. Of the three Loloma lots in this sale, this colorful bracelet is my favorite!
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What draws me to this Dayak war shield is the sense of power it holds-not just as a physical object, but as a visual force. The swirling, curving designs seem alive, as if they're pulsing with energy. I can easily imagine how these bold patterns were believed to protect the warrior and strike fear into the enemy. This shield, in particular, feels like it could do both-it's stunning and a little unsettling, like it carries a presence of its own. I'm further struck by how these abstract forms-the spirals, the stylized human and animal shapes, the flowing lines-connect across time. They remind me of what early 20th-century artists like the Surrealists and Primitivists were chasing: the raw, untamed power of art that's not just about what you see, but what you feel. It's fascinating how
Dayak art, with its deep roots in spiritual and ancestral symbolism, echoes in the work of artists who were looking for new ways to express inner worlds and subconscious visions.
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This 3000-year-old carving feels vivid and immediate, presenting a distinct personality. He has the solid body of a Sumo wrestler and kneels firmly on the ground. His face, however, is energetic and fierce, with an open mouth and a curling upper lip symbolizing the jaguar, a powerful figure in Olmec art linked to spiritual transformation. The tension between his grounded body and animated face reflects the union of physical and spiritual elements.
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One of the things that fascinates me about this mask is how much it once meant to the Bobo people of Burkina Faso. It wasn't just a mask-it was the embodiment of Dwo, their main god, the spirit of new life and growth. I can almost feel the weight of that meaning, knowing that today, while Bobo masquerades have become more for entertainment, in the past, they were deeply spiritual events. Looking at the mask, I'm struck by how abstract it is-part human, part animal, yet Dwo had no fixed form. It makes sense that the mask itself isn't fully one thing or another. I imagine the dancer-an athletic man-wearing this heavy, unwieldy mask, either naked or wrapped in leaves, whirling and leaping through the air. The thought of him spinning so wildly that the mask might fly off-it makes me realize
just how raw and powerful those performances must have been. It wasn't just dance; it was an offering, an ecstatic prayer, a connection to something beyond.
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Ian's Picks
Ian Eastes | Associate Specialist, Ethnographic Art
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Among the Great Lakes and Prairie communities, prescription sticks were widely used as herbal "recipes" to cure common illnesses and injuries. Reading from left to right, a user would create various remedies from the specific plants depicted on the stick. One edge of the item has a row of carved dots, perhaps a count of the antidotes concocted using this device.
In my opinion, this example surpasses others because it has two humanoid figures and an animal in addition to the detailed images of regional fauna. The descriptive carving on both sides, the tactful use of red pigment, and finely aged surface all contribute to the aesthetic of the piece. Its unique beauty and rarity - auction records for these are scarce - would make this Potawatomi Prescription Stick a significant addition to the curated collection. See one at the Met and two others at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
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After visiting an excavation of the Sikyatki village, Nampeyo of Hano (1859 - 1942) ushered in a revival of these ancestral designs in Hopi pottery. Prior to this she had been innovating traditional pottery forms, and with the designs found on the visit, established her style which is ubiquitous in Hopi pottery today. The small Nampeyo-attributed canteen we are offering in this sale has differing designs on either side of the vessel. One side features a delicate maiden's face with an elaborate headdress and dangling earrings; the other side, a face that is more angular with radiating circles on the cheeks, serrated headdress, and bifurcated mouth, indicating a butterfly maiden katsina. This striking double-sided piece will give the collector a special opportunity to acquire an
influential piece of Puebloan pottery.
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