Hopi-Tewa Koshari Clown Holding Watermelon over his Mouth [SOLD]
+ Add to my watchlist Forward to Friend
- Category: Traditional
- Origin: Hopi Pueblo, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu
- Medium: cottonwood root, paint
- Size: 7-1/8” tall
- Item # C3383H SOLD
I have found no published information on Lee Chapella. The Chapella family is Hopi-Tewa and lives in the villages of First Mesa. This carving of a Tewa Clown holding a whole watermelon over his head and with his mouth open is a good illustration of the presentation of the Clown as a glutton, a trait for which they are well known. The purpose of illustrating them as overly fat and gluttonous is to demonstrate to the Hopi what they should not do. To do so is a very un-Hopi trait.
This carving is signed and dated 1993.
Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the estate of Tom Mittler, a former resident of Michigan
Recommended Reading: Hopi Kachina Dolls and their carvers by Theda Bassman
- Category: Traditional
- Origin: Hopi Pueblo, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu
- Medium: cottonwood root, paint
- Size: 7-1/8” tall
- Item # C3383H SOLD
Click on image to view larger.
