Original Painting of Pueblo Eagle Dance by Tonita Peña [SOLD]

Tonita Peña, whose Native name was Quah Ah, was born in 1893 in the tiny New Mexico pueblo of San Ildefonso on the Rio Grande, just north of Santa Fe. At about the age of 12, her mother passed away and her father, unable to raise her and tend his fields and pueblo responsibilities, took her to live with her aunt and uncle at Cochiti Pueblo, where she spent the remainder of her life.

Tonita was the only woman in the group of talented early pueblo artists referred to as the San Ildefonso Self-Taught Group, which included such noted artists as Julian Martinez, Alfonso Roybal, Abel Sanchez, Crecencio Martinez, and Encarnación Peña.

By the time Tonita was 25 years old, she was a successful easel artist, and her work was being shown in museum exhibitions and in commercial art galleries in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico. She painted what she knew best - scenes of life at the pueblo - mostly ceremonial dances and everyday events. She is still considered one of the best female Indian artists of all time.

Tonita was very ingenious in the manner in which she signed her paintings. After extensive and careful study of over one hundred of her paintings, it is possible to date a number of her paintings, within reason, by the manner in which they were signed.

Based on her style of signature, this painting had been determined to date from 1921 or 1922.  It was during this period that she used both her Native and English names in the manner shown on this painting.  This is one of the more comprehensive of her paintings.  It was executed in the traditional Studio style of the Santa Fe Indian School.  That is, there are no background objects or ground plane.  Only the human figures are shown.

Condition:  The painting appears to be in original excellent condition but it has not yet been examined out of the frame.  This will be done before the painting is released from the gallery.

Provenance: ex. coll. Ohio collector

Recommended Reading: Tonita Peña by Samuel Gray