Hopi Overlay Bear Paw Buckle with Gold Center [SOLD]

Robert Lomadapki was born in 1942 at Hotevilla on Hopi’s Third Mesa. In the 1970s he was part of a program at the Museum of Northern Arizona where he was able to collaborate and study along with Duayne Maktima and Victor Beck under the mentorship of Jake Brookings. He is known for making Hopi overlay style of jewelry since the 1970s.

In 2008, Robert Lomadapki was named an “Arizona Living Treasure” for his dedicated work in education and the Native American Community. Not only was he a talented artist, he was an educator and a gallery owner who spent his time encouraging and promoting the careers of young artists. He spent the last years of his life in the Applied Indigenous Studies department at Northern Arizona University as a traditional knowledge scholar. He was also the owner and operator of Isvaki Gallery in downtown Flagstaff, Arizona.  

The Hopi overlay technique was introduced by the Coltons at the Museum of Northern Arizona in the 1930s. This style is characterized by the contrast between a blackened or oxidized silver background and a cutout silver design set over the bottom layer.

This amazing belt buckle is a perfect example of a traditional Hopi esthetic. The artist placed a cutout image of a bearpaw over a heavily oxidized layer of silver. There is a lovely spiral of gold set in the palm of the bear paw.

Lomadapki’s work is difficult to find. He spent much of his time focusing on the careers and education of others. We are lucky to be able to offer a piece from such an influential Hopi artist.

Condition: The Hopi Overlay Bear Paw Buckle with Gold Center is in excellent condition.

Provenance: From the estate of a former client who amassed a collection of 40 Native-made belt buckles.  With this one, we have now posted all 40 of them on our site.

Recommended Reading: Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing by Margaret Nickelson Wright