An Eagle Ceremony at Tesuque Pueblo - Original Woodcut Print [SOLD]

The Eagle Dance is one of the more fascinating ceremonies performed at the Pueblos. Dancers embody the elegance and grace of the eagle as they soar and glide across the plaza. The subject of this woodcut is seen from the perspective of someone with a prime vantage point, sitting on the roof of a home facing the center of the plaza. The dancers are joined by three drummers who provide traditional rhythmic accompaniment.

This classic woodcut print impression was issued in three colors—black, gray and bronze.  This impression is from the custom printed “Colophon: a Book Collector’s Quarterly” issue #12, published in 1932.  Colophon was a high-quality quarterly publication that custom printed articles in a bound publication with one original art print by a famous artist included in each edition.  This publication was available only by subscription.  The issue with this Baumann print is one of the most sought of the Colophon.

This Colophon print was printed from the original woodblock hand-carved by Gustave Baumann (1881-1971).  None of the prints in Colophon were ever signed in pencil, but this one does include Baumann’s initials and his monogram cypher of a hand palm in a heart in the lower left corner.  No other editions of this woodcut were ever issued.

The quarterly publication Colophon was published between 1929 and 1950 as a way to present to the public the wide array of various printing techniques common and uncommon to the trade.  Each publication provided both historical and contemporary examples of printing techniques, type-faces, papers and graphic artwork.  The work of contemporary artists was featured.  Each volume numbered around 100 pages with a subscription limited to 2000 copies quarterly.

Gustave Baumann was born in Germany and came to the US with his family when he was ten. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and returned to Germany in 1904 to study wood carving and the techniques of making wood block prints.  In 1918 he came to New Mexico and remained there for the next 50 years, becoming an important part of the New Mexico art scene. His work focused on the beauty and uniqueness of the Southwestern landscapes and people.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from a gentleman in Colorado

Recommended Reading:  Gustave Baumann: Nearer to Art by Martin F. Krause