Tesuque Pueblo 19th Century Rain God Figurine [SOLD]

Once scorned as nontraditional curios by collectors and academics, Tesuque rain gods are now thought of as authentic expressions of an indigenous art form.

Tesuque rain gods are small ceramic figures. They are not nor have they ever been sacred images. Instead, rain gods were developed at Tesuque Pueblo, north of Santa Fe, to sell as souvenirs to tourists. They were an entrepreneurial response to new economic challenges that resulted from New Mexico becoming an American territory. Thousands of them were made, marketed, and sold, mostly along the route of the Santa Fe Railroad, between 1885 and 1925. In 1904 rain gods sold for 15¢ or 25¢ each. By the 1980s, they were selling for about $30.  Now, most of them that date to the late 1800s are over $1000 in price.

In 2005, Adobe Gallery exhibited a collection of 105 Tesuque Rain God figurines from the collection of Dana Lipsig.  The rain gods in her collection dated from the 1880s to the early 1900s; most were made between 1905 and 1910.  During the three-month exhibit, the entire collection was sold.  Lipsig said she fell in love with rain gods without really knowing what they were. She found them at galleries, antique shops, and flea markets.

This figurine is one of the 105 in the exhibit at Adobe Gallery in 2005.  It is now available again.  The painting on this figurine is among the most elaborate and exquisite of all the figurines in the exhibit. An accomplished potter sculpted the figurine and an accomplished painter applied the painting. Overall, it makes an impressive statement.  There is a metal stand accompanying the figurine.

Condition: original excellent condition

Provenance: from a gentleman in California who purchased it at the Adobe Gallery 2005 exhibit

Recommended Reading: When Rain Gods Reigned: From Curios to Art at Tesuque Pueblo by Duane Anderson. 2002. Museum of New Mexico Press