Quincy Tahoma Untitled Painting of Diné Woman Holding Lamb [SOLD]

This original painting was created by Diné artist Quincy Tahoma. It is not often that Tahoma’s works appear on the market, so we are always delighted to have the opportunity to offer a strong piece by the influential artist. This 1944 painting is a fine example of Tahoma’s ability to capture life on the Navajo Nation in sharp detail and bright, attractive color. This piece is rich in the lively energy for which Tahoma’s work is celebrated, but warmer and more accessible than his hunt and battle scenes. This piece uses appealing figures and an expansive landscape to successfully invite the viewer into its atmosphere.

Tahoma’s primary subject is a young Diné woman. She stands in the center of the image atop a small hill, wearing a concho belt, turquoise bracelets, moccasins, and a colorful skirt. She cradles a small lamb in her arms as a fierce desert wind blows her hair and skirt off to the viewer’s left. Her dog stands behind her, staring directly into the wind. A flock of sheep populate the hills around and behind the woman. Those in the background seem relaxed, while those in the foreground dance about playfully. Up above and far off into the distance, four birds pass beneath a staggered trio of cloud formations.  At first glance, there seems to be 4 or 5 sheep in this painting. But, if you look closely at the details, you will see over 60 sheep!

The painting is signed Quincy Tahoma and dated ‘44 in lower right. A small image, or cartouche, above the signature shows the next logical scene of what happens next: silhouettes of the woman and two lambs walking away. The painting is framed under two layers of matting in a carved wood frame.

Quincy Tahoma (1917-1956) Water Edge (Near Water) was a highly skilled, influential Diné of the Navajo Nation painter who lived a short life but made a significant impression in the world of Native art. Tahoma passed away in 1956, at just 39 years of age. Tahoma's native name, Water Edge or Near Water, is not a translation of his Diné name but is the name of his mother's clan.

Dorothy Dunn praised his talents in her book American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas: “Tohoma’s [sic] style changed from serenity to one expressive of near violence—from quiet, pastoral scenes and orderly ceremonial patterns to highly agitated portrayals of animals, hunts, and battles that glorified struggle and cruelty.  Yet it is the latter work for which he is most recognized, and which extends his natural powers of draftsmanship and imagination. Through his individual studies of foreshortening and anatomy, Tohoma [sic] won for his pictures high praise from academically trained artists of note, and the admiring response of the public.  Whatever one may think of these later paintings as Indian art, he must recognize the command of techniques and devices of the artist’s own making which convey the opposition and impact of brutal contests in all sorts of situations on the hunting ranges of the old days.” 

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Quincy Tahoma Untitled Painting of Diné Woman Holding Lamb is from a  private collection

Reference: American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas, by Dorothy Dunn

Recommended Reading: Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist by Charnell Havens and Vera Marie Badertscher

Relative Links: Navajo, Native American Paintings, Quincy Tahoma