Jose Rey Toledo Ceremonial Scene [SOLD]

José Rey Toledo (1915-1994) 

This work by José Rey Toledo Sho-bah-who-hon | "Morning Star" of Walatowa (Jemez Pueblo), painted in 1941 when Toledo was only 26 years of age, captures a classic example of Southwest Pueblo ceremonial art. Toledo studied under Dorothy Dunn at The Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School in the late 1930s, a formative experience that strongly shaped his flat-style, highly descriptive, and culturally precise approach.

The painting depicts five males  participating in a Pueblo ceremony of undetermined name. Kneeling before the row of dancers are two males, leading one to assume that the subject of the painting is not a dance but is a blessing ceremony of some significance.

Each dancer wears an elaborate wooden headpiece (tablita), painted with stepped cloud terrace motifs, rainbow arches, and sun symbols, topped with soft white down feathers. Fresh evergreen/spruce ruffs adorn their necks and wrists, symbolizing life, rain, and eternal growth.

Bandoliers of white sea shells cross diagonally over the bare torsos of two dancers and strings of heishi over the other men. Handheld gourd rattles and pine sprigs are held to maintain rhythm and spiritual connection. Traditional woven sashes are tied around their waists, featuring terraced geometric patterns representing clouds and falling rain.

The painting is signed in the lower right with Toledo's signature, his Native name translation Morning Star, and the date '41 (1941).

By 1941, Toledo was expanding beyond his early training at The Studio, continuing to refine his focus on documenting Pueblo ceremonial life with meticulous precision. Paintings from this early period are particularly prized for their historical fidelity to ceremonial regalia, expressive facial features, and fine line work.

The painting is framed in a traditional Santa Fe Indian School wood frame with carved designs.

José Rey Toledo (1915-1994)  was a true Renaissance man of Jemez Pueblo. Over his lifetime, he excelled as an educator, lecturer, muralist, actor, and public health administrator, earning a master's degree from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Public Health from UC Berkeley. He also served as the head of the art department at the Santa Fe Indian School.

Toledo's passion for painting was originally sparked by his cousin, the celebrated Zia Pueblo artist Velino Shije Herrera (Ma Pe Wi). Because of his rigorous academic and administrative careers, Toledo painted infrequently, making his surviving works exceptionally rare on today's market.

While he typically adhered to the traditional, flat-style Pueblo format devoid of background scenes, his figures are celebrated for their incredible sense of motion, ceremony, and detail. His enduring legacy was cemented in 1994, just months before his passing, when the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe mounted a major retrospective of his life's work. This 1941 masterpiece stands as a prime example of why his work remains so fiercely guarded by discerning collectors.

Condition:  appears to be in very good condition but has not been examined out of the frame.

Provenance: this Jose Rey Toledo Ceremonial Scene is from the collection of a former Albuquerque resident.

Reference and Recommended Reading: DANCING SPIRITS: José Rey Toledo, Towa Artist (1915-1994) by Susan Scarberry-García for the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture exhibit

TAGS: Jemez Pueblo, Velino Shije Herrera - Ma Pe Wi, Zia Pueblo, paintings, José Rey Toledo