Female Buffalo Dancer from the Summer Group [SOLD]

Unable to find any published information on a painter named Tonita Roybal, I consulted with Russell Sanchez of San Ildefonso because he is extremely well versed in everything regarding the pueblo and its people.  Russell told me that Tonita Roybal is a daughter of Ramos and Cerelia Roybal and a granddaughter of the famous pottery couple Tonita and Juan Cruz Roybal.  It was for her grandmother that the younger Tonita was named.  He said that Tonita is around 60 years old and probably painted this painting while in school as she is not known for paintings.  Perhaps she never painted any others after finishing school.  If she is in her 60s now, she would have been in her 20s in 1970 when this painting was completed.

This painting is of a single Buffalo Lady of the Summer group.  The pueblo has two kivas, one for the Winter People and one for the Summer People.  The embroidery on the skirt is the identifying trait of the Summer People.

This is the only painting by this artist we have ever encountered.  It is matted with acid-free materials and framed in a hand carved wood frame by the famous Tres Mowka Designs of Santa Fe.

Condition:  appears to be in original condition

Provenance: from the personal collection of a family from Santa Fe

Recommended Reading:  Indian Painters of the Southwest: The Deep Remembering (Contemporary Indian Artists) by Katherin Chase