Hopi kachina mask - Arizona, United States

Description

Authentic Hopi kachina mask with original painting and feathers, powerfully and expressively executed.

This mask attracts immediate attention with its imposing size and vibrant colour combination of black, red, yellow and white. Its round muzzle, large ears and vertical eye openings give it an impressive look, while the feathers on top add to its spiritual power.

Origin & meaning
Kachina masks play a central role in the ceremonial traditions of the Hopi in Arizona. They were worn by dancers who transformed themselves during rituals into the kachina spirit they portrayed. This specimen shows characteristics of the Angwusnasomtaka (Crow Mother) style, one of the most important kachinas within Hopi culture.

Dimensions
Height 37 cm, width 36.5 cm, depth 13 cm (without the feathers).

Provenance: Onder de Boompjes auction house (2024), Fred Smit Collection, 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.