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Tile with Hopi Thunderbird

Laura Tomasie

Artwork Details

Tile with Hopi Thunderbird
circa 1964
Laura Tomasie
polychrome slip on low fired ceramic
5 9/16 in x 4 in x 3/8 in (14.2 cm x 10.2 cm x 1 cm)
Gift of Estelle Titiev, from the collection of Mischa Titiev
1984/2.13

Description

Subject Matter:

With this tile, Tomasie updates the katsina tourist tiles of the late nineteenth century (see Object No. 1984/2.14). Thunderbirds were cosmological symbols widely shared across indigenous North America and were often connected to the powers expressed through thunder and lightning. The depiction here is specifically a Hopi expression, and can be found on other Puebloan pottery of the mid-twentieth century.

Physical Description:

Red orange rectangular tile with a thin black line border and black Thunderbird design.

Usage Rights:

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