Featured Has anyone heard of Zuni Fetish???

I recently purchased a lot of these
ZUNI FETISH FIGURES .( About 150) Upon doing research I realised that they where Zuni Fetish figures. My question is why are they so desirable and so expensive? I've seen some of these things sell upwards of $700.

 

anyone in the Native American art world has heard of these....& even some who are not.
Prices vary , by artist , age , material, and complexity.

 

@Reeves

Use Zuni Fetish in the forum search and there are a number of threads on the subject.

 

Zuni fetishes are a part of their traditional cultural heritage, that is now shared with the rest of the world since they have started making them for sale to collectors. Prices on the upper end of the market, like most art work, depend largely on the maker, and his/her reputation.

However, be aware that there are now Chinese fakes being sold as Zuni, all over the Southwest, and on line. Even signatures are sometimes copied. The best way to avoid buying a Chinese copy is to learn who the better-known Zuni artists are, and their style. Until that can happen, it's best to buy from a reputable dealer, or directly from the artist.

 

Ok thanks for your reply, I was just curious because some of the pieces I have has prices of $150.00, before today I had never heard of it. Some of the pieces are made of turquiose, but I'm going to do some more research on them and learn how to identify authentic ones.

 

good luck........there are 100's of thousands out there.........

check this out....

https://zunifetishgallery.com/

 

Having a weakness for small carved things, before I got captured by cameos, I was collecting these, mainly Zuni, principally by the extended Laate family. I'm not comfortable calling them fetishes as they were not made for spiritual purposes & I do not take care of them as if they were, so I prefer to call them carvings. But of course they are sold as 'fetishes' far & wide.

Sad to say, & not confined to this segment of the art world, work by deceased masters generally fetches higher prices than that of the living.

I have two that are lovely lizard-on-a-rock pieces, Chinese, bought by a Zuni artisan who was never very good, & who etched his own name into the bottoms.

@Taupou & @komokwa I would like to leave the best of the pieces I have by Pernell & Max(x) Laate to some institution(s) that would actually keep & display them. Is there any such place? Or are galleries the only places where contemporary work can be seen, until it is sold?

 

even if you could find a museum...or institution.....there's no guarantee that they wouldn't end up in a drawer....or be deacquisitioned at some point.
If they are your best...get the highest price u can for them.....and they will be enjoyed that way. Maybe even in a catalog...so photo's last.
Or.....find someone putting together a book on native items......
again...at least the image will last and be disseminated...

 

Thanks for the guidance. A donor can usually stipulate whether things must be shown or cannot be sold off, but of course proposed recipient is free to decline. I happen to know the Met has a lot of Chinese export china they're stuck with on those terms when they would really like to use the cases for other things. When museums make their collections readily available on the Internet, with good photos, etc., I'm less concerned with whether they give an item space in a display, but only a few institutions seem to really do this. The National Museum of the American Indian, currently closed, does not cut it.

Maybe sell at best price & give money in some way that would improve conditions in Zuni schools. Probably just as difficult to find a good way to effect this.

 

Once in a catalog....it's timeless.....and good for research !!

Online.....ya that works....museums only show about 5 to 15 percent of their collection at any one time......save for UBC MOA.....which I believe shows the biggest collection of their work , than any other....maybe 35 %...!

 

In the past I have donated to a few NA immersion schools, where children are taught in their native language and learn more about their culture, traditional crafts, music dance, story-telling, etc.
The students not only find their identity, but also do better academically (mainstream) than Native children taught in English-only schools. They are also much less likely to get involved in substance abuse, etc. simply because they have pride of culture and a better self-image.
Some immersion schools are total immersion, native language only, and some are dual immersion.
As far as I know Zuni currently only has an immersion pre-school, the Zuni Head Start program. It is not a program I have donated to, so I know nothing about it. And since immersion schools are often started privately by concerned and involved parents and educators, there could be a good project I don't know about.
Maybe worth looking into?

 

That's a nice idea...

 

She thought about selling them and giving the money to improve conditions in Zuni schools.

 

yes.....u are right !