Navajo Silversmith Fred Peshlakai - His Life and Art [SOLD]

Navajo Silversmith Fred Peshlakai - His Life and Art

by Steven Curtis

Schiffer Publishing LTD

Hardback, first edition, 2014

224 pages, full color

11-¼" Height x 9" Width x 1" Depth

Fred Peshlakai (1896-1974) was a pioneering Navajo silversmith whose refined craftsmanship and innovative designs left a lasting impact on Native American jewelry. Born in Crystal, New Mexico, he learned silversmithing from his father, Slender Maker of Silver, who had studied under one of the first Navajo silversmiths. In the 1920s, Fred opened a shop on Olvera Street in Los Angeles, where he worked for nearly two decades, blending traditional Navajo techniques with influences from Mexican design. Known for crafting his own stamps and using high-quality turquoise, his work stood apart for its intricacy and precision. After briefly operating a shop in Utah, he returned to the Navajo Reservation, where he lived until his passing. Peshlakai's legacy lives on through his role in elevating Navajo silverwork and inspiring future generations of silversmiths.

From the Jacket:

Explore the life and art of legendary Navajo silversmith Fred Peshlakai and see how his masterful art began and evolved. Beginning with the history of the Navajo people, this narrative follows world events that impacted the American Southwest and the Navajo culture, resulting in the development of the Navajo people's unique expressions of art rendered in silver and stone. The book reviews the nineteenth-century evolution of the art form, shining a particular light on certain ambiguities regarding important interrelationships among its most famous figures. Fred Peshlakai hailed from one of the most recognized artistic bloodlines of his noble people. This book is the beginning catalogue of his beautiful silver artwork, providing hundreds of images as well as discussions of each piece's technical and artistic merits. No longer mythical, Fred Peshlakai is shown to be one of the most, if not the most, influential Navajo artisan to impact the creation of Navajo silver art, and his work is recognized as the world-class art treasures they truly are.

About the Author:

Steven Curtis is a writer, artist, and historian long fascinated with the American Southwest. From a very early age, his love for the Red Rock Country prompted him to study the history of its indigenous art and inspired his particular interest in the region's conservation and protection.