Hopi Black Face Buffalo Dancer [SOLD]

I have not been able to find any biographical information on the artist but the style of the carving and painting are of the early 1970s era.  That timing would fit with the collection from which it came.  The Buffalo Dancer is not a Katsina but a social dancer.  Animal dances are frequently performed in the fall as a plea for a good hunting season.

This carving is from cottonwood root, as is traditional, and painted with what appears to be tempera paints, a style that pre-dates the use of acrylic paint. It is signed on the bottom "Baffalo Dancer Harry Tallas".

Condition: very good condition with no evidence of repairs

Provenance: from the Chuck and Jan Rosenak collection, collectors and authors of Navajo folk art.