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ProvenanceJohn Arieta, London, England; Betty Sterling, Randolph, Vermont and Honolulu, Hawaii; John Hill, Phoenix, Arizona; Shaw Gallery, Aspen, Colorado
BibliographyWardwell, Allen. "Of Pride and Spirit: North American Indian Art from a Private Collection in Hawai'i. Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1981, p. 27 & 65, fig. 70.
Vincent, Gilbert T. "The Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art." The World of Tribal Arts, Vol.II, No.4, (Winter 1995-96): 35.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.57.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.229.
Murdock, Michelle, ed. 50 at 20: Masterpieces of American Indian Art from the Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2015, p. 20.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 252.
Culture
Hopi
Piptuka Wutaka
Date1910-1920
DimensionsOverall: 21 1/2 × 10 1/4 × 5 in. (54.6 × 26 × 12.7 cm)
Object numberT0106
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextThis rare figure is not a kachina doll, but an image of one of the characters depicted by an informal group of men known as "Piptuyakyamu" who appear at dances to present skits and generally act as buffoons. The Piptukas play many different roles in their foolish skits. The figure presented here is Wutaka (Old Man), who usually carries a rope or a stick in his role as a disciplinarian. The Piptukas are not sacred clowns, priests, or kachinas, but in portraying people and events with humor, they help to relieve the people's tensions. Carvings of Piptukas are usually barefooted, and painted white with realistic facial features. The arms of this figure are realistically carved and are attached to the shoulders with wire nails. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)ProvenanceJohn Arieta, London, England; Betty Sterling, Randolph, Vermont and Honolulu, Hawaii; John Hill, Phoenix, Arizona; Shaw Gallery, Aspen, Colorado
BibliographyWardwell, Allen. "Of Pride and Spirit: North American Indian Art from a Private Collection in Hawai'i. Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1981, p. 27 & 65, fig. 70.
Vincent, Gilbert T. "The Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art." The World of Tribal Arts, Vol.II, No.4, (Winter 1995-96): 35.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.57.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.229.
Murdock, Michelle, ed. 50 at 20: Masterpieces of American Indian Art from the Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2015, p. 20.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 252.
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