Painting of Velvet Shirt Katsinas and Clown by Raymond Naha [SOLD]

One of Fred Kabotie’s most talented students, Raymond Naha is known for being one of the first Native American artists to break away from the two-dimensional style of Dorothy Dunn’s Santa Fe Indian School. This painting is characteristic of his ability to render exquisite detail and a sense of movement. It is a painting of two Navan or Velvet Shirt Katsinas exiting a kiva while a Tewa Clown watches.

According to noted authority Barton Wright, the Navan Katsina is relatively new in the pantheon of katsinas, that is, it began to appear about circa 1900, first at the Third Mesa Hopi village of Moenkopi. That is not to lessen its importance, however, as katsinas change in popularity over the decades. Some have been dropped from existence and others have been added. This is a revolving system in the katsina religion.

The Navan certainly are among the more beautiful and colorful of the katsinas. Their velvet shirt and abundance of ribbons make them stand out among some of the more somber-colored ones.

Condition: This painting is in original excellent condition. It is not dated by the artist, but appears to be from the 1960 decade.

Provenance: From the personal collection of Frances Balcomb, owner of Balcomb’s Gallery, at one time located in Arizona, then Taos, Gallup, and Albuquerque, but closed since 1976.