Hopi Crow Mother kachina (Angwusnasomtaka) - Arizona

Description

Powerful Hopi Crow Mother kachina with imposing appearance and original painting.

This kachina represents Angwusnasomtaka, better known as the Crow Mother. She is considered the mother of all kachinas and plays a central role in Hopi ceremonies. With her dark mask, red frame and rope strings representing raven feathers, she is instantly recognisable. She is revered as an initiator and protector of children during rituals.

Origin & meaning
The Hopi manufacture kachina dolls (tihu) as ceremonial gifts. They make tangible the mythical spirits that bring rain, fertility and protection. Crow Mother is one of the most important female figures: she guides the younger generation in their first introduction to the spiritual world. This copy is from Swan Auction House (2024), Fred Smit Collection (Haarlem).

Dimensions & condition
Height: 24.5 cm
Width: 11 cm
Depth: 7 cm
Condition: good, with traces of use and original polychrome paint.

Provenance: Veilinghuis de Zwaan (2024), Collection Fred Smit, Haarlem

Fred Smit - teacher and historian Fred Smit made his first purchase in 1968 and would steadily expand his collection over the following decades to include objects from distant cultures. His interest was mainly in Africa and Oceania and he bought from recognised galleries, including Galerie Lemaire, Galerie Mabuhay (Rob Kok), Kunsthandel Aalderink and Michel Thieme in Amsterdam. His interests proved diverse: besides masks and sculptures, there were also weapons, carpets and various utensils. Visitors were amazed by the order with which the collector at his home in Haarlem managed to place each object in the big picture of shapes and colours, contributing to an imaginative interpretation of objects from exotic cultures.