Very Large Dance Procession with Koosa Clowns [SOLD]

This is an extremely major early painting by Awa Tsireh.  The signature, Awa-Se-day, is his older signature, one used in 1920.  By 1921, he was using Awa Tsireh, the signature he used for the remainder of his life.  This painting, therefore, was painted in 1920 or earlier, a time when he was about 20 years old.

There are 53 figures in this painting, a monumental effort for a young artist of about 20 years old.  It attests to the extraordinary talent of Alfonso Roybal (1898-1955) Awa Tsireh and his mastery of the watercolor medium.  It is a typically two-dimensional painting but imparts a three-dimensional display.  There is no ground plane, plants or elements in the sky, typical of all early pueblo paintings.

Condition: the painting is currently framed with archival materials, however, there is some acid-burn noticeable in the section of the sky and there is some minor flaking of the paper on the far right above the heads of the people.  There does not appear to be any damage in the area of the painting.

Provenance: Charlotte G. Mittler collection.

Recommended Reading: Through Their Eyes—Indian Painting in Santa Fe, 1918-1945 by Michelle McGeough, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 2009