Koosa Clown Holding Basket [SOLD]

J. D. Roybal, whose full name was José Disiderio Roybal, and who’s Tewa name was Oquwa (Rain God), was a well-known painter from San Ildefonso Pueblo. He was born on November 7, 1922 at San Ildefonso, the son of Tonita and Juan Cruz Roybal. He passed away June 28, 1978. He was a nephew of Alfonso Roybal (Awa Tsireh).  He did a bit of painting in the 1930s but was not very productive until the 1950s. He was most productive in the 1960-1970 decades.

Although he produced large paintings, some with as many as dozens of dancers, he seems to have specialized in painting small note cards on paper, some with a single figure, such as this one, and others with no more than three dancers. 

This painting illustrates a sacred Koosa Clown holding a basket which possibly holds sacred corn meal or perhaps it is empty.  Even in such diminutive scale, Roybal achieved excellent detail and displayed in his paintings wonderful emotion.

Condition: original condition

Recommended Reading: Southwest Indian Painting: A Changing Art by Clara Lee Tanner.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Colorado to whom we sold this in 1995 along with two others which are shown in Related Items below.