American Indian Art and Artifacts
Interest in American Indian Art is on the Rise
What is it about American Indian art that so intrigues us? Is it the timeless lines and sunset colors? A renewed interest in spiritual symbolism? Fascination with this unique part of American history?
Whatever the reason, American Indian motifs have found their way into contemporary jewelry, clothing, and home furnishings markets around the world. Because of this increase in interest, WorthWise American Indian art appraisals are in high demand.
American Indian Art and Artifacts
Including the following items from Ancestral Puebloan, Apache, Casas Grandes, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Great Lakes, Hopi, Inuit, Mata Ortiz, Navajo, Papago, Pima, Plains, Plateau Pueblo, Sioux and Zuni tribes in the 19th and 20th centuries
Types of art and artifacts appraised include:
Basketry:
bowls, ollas, storage jars, trays and water jugs
Clothing:
belts, dresses, hair roaches, hair ties, headdresses, moccasins, sashes, and shirts
Jewelry:
beaded, cast, hammered and inlaid silver bolos, bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments, necklaces, pendants, and rings
Pottery:
bowls, dough bowls, effigies, jars, ollas, pitchers, plates, pots, seed pots, storytellers, vases, and wedding vessels
Weavings:
chiefs’ blankets, rugs, saddle blankets, and sarapes
Weapons:
axes, bows and arrows, clubs, knives, quivers, spears, and tomahawks
Miscellaneous
bandolier bags, bridles, dolls, drums, fetishes, headstalls, kachinas, masks, medicine bags, parfleche bags, pipes and saddles
Notable Artists Appraised
• Joe Baatsoslanii
• Crucita “BlueCorn” Calabaza
• Herbert “Butterfly” Candelario
• Richard Cee
• Raymond Chee
• Helen Cordero
• Tony Da
• Effie Garcia
• Margaret and Luther Gutierrez
• Stetson Honyumptewa
• Virginia James
• Glen Lafontaine
• Lucy Lewis
• Joseph Lonewolf
• Julian Martinez
• Maria Martinez
• John Montoya
• Heather “Feather Woman” Naha
• Joy “2nd Frog Woman” Navasie
• Diane O’Leary
• Lillian Pitt
• Margaret “Corn Blossom” Tafoya
• Sarafina Tafoya
• Dorothy Torivio
• Frank Vacit
• Larry Yazzie
• Ruth Yazzie
APPRAISED ITEMS
Tip 1
Make sure when purchasing Indian artifacts that they have been legally acquired. The laws regulating the trade of antique or prehistoric objects from federal and private lands, burial sites or made from endangered species are many and complex. Always investigate the provenance of such objects!
Tip 2
Consider purchasing contemporary American Indian art directly from the tribal members who make them wherever possible. Not only does this ensure that the highest level of proceeds return to the tribe, it protects you from purchasing inferior knock offs from both domestic and international manufacturers!
“The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been concealed by the answers.”
~ James Baldwin