Sterling Silver Lidded Box with Rainbow Man Zuni Inlay [SOLD]

Quite often, an Indian trader would provide silver to a Navajo to make a lidded box which he then had a Zuni lapidary artist fashion an inlay object to attach to the box.  It is quite likely that this box is a Navajo creation and certainly the Rainbow Man is a Zuni creation.

As is standard in any new process, the Navajo started out making small undecorated pill boxes about the size of postage stamps.  With experience and demand, the silversmiths expanded their repertoire to making large boxes with elaborate lids.  In this box, there are four large repoussé silver leaves divided by four smaller repoussé floral elements.  A Zuni multi-stone inlay Rainbow Man is centered on the lid.

The hinges on the lid are triangular shaped silver wire construction soldered to the side of the box. Four handmade silver beads serve as legs for the box.  The box probably dates to the mid-1950s.

Some silver boxes were made for holding medication and some for holding jewelry.  Whether used or not used, they make a major statement just sitting on the coffee table.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from a family in Albuquerque who inherited it from her mother.

Recommended Reading: Beesh Ligaii in Balance: The Diane and Sandy Besser Collection of Navajo and Pueblo Silverwork, by John Torres-Nez