Details

Title

Untitled

Artist/Maker

Charlie Willeto (American, 1897–1964)

Date

1961

Medium

Wood and paint

Dimensions

20 x 8 1/2 x 5 inches

Credit

Purchase with funds from the Mattie Lou O'Kelley Endowment

Accession #

2000.220

On View

On View - Stent Family Wing, Skyway, Gallery 407

This brightly colored figure was carved by Charlie Willeto, a Navajo medicine man who created innovative wooden figures during the last four years of his life. His work is informed by Navajo sources of figuration, including sand paintings and textile design. This carving is considered one of the finest examples of Willeto’s earliest work, which he completed on his own before beginning a collaboration with his wife. Its light-colored face, horns, markings, and stance suggest a relationship to the spirit world.