Adobe Gallery Blog

According to Duane Anderson, author of When Rain Gods Reigned: From Curios to Art at Tesuque Pueblo, sets of 3 rain god figurines based on the Chinese-influenced "see, hear, speak no evil" form appeared between 1900 and 1925. Less than a dozen sets were found and examined by Anderson during his period of research and only a fourth of them had pots on their laps. He found the earliest set located in the collection at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. That set was reportedly found wrapped in a 1907 newspaper. Anderson speculates that most of this style was made between 1900 and 1910.

This set, from the Rosenak collection, appears to have been made by different potters as the facial features are different. This is not unusual in that most of the figurines were sold as individual items rather than as complete sets. Collectors have sometimes spent years finding all three to complete a set. This set also features pots in the laps of all three figurines. The "see, hear, speak no evil" sets with pottery jars in their laps are the rarest of the style.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the collection of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, renowned collectors and authors of Navajo folk art.
Recommended Reading: When Rain Gods Reigned: From Curios to Art at Tesuque Pueblo by Duane Anderson

Title: Tesuque Pueblo "See, Hear, Speak no Evil" Rain God Figurine Set
Potter Unknown
Category: Figurines
Origin: Tesuque Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 6-3/4" tall
Item # 25602