Lot 165

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Description:

Edward S. Curtis
(1868 - 1952)
The Piki Maker - Walpi, 1906
platinum print
Signed, in black ink at Lower Right on print recto: Curtis
Copyright blind stamp, at lower left on print recto: COPYRIGHTED 1906 BY E.S. CURTIS
In negative at lower left on print recto: 30-06 (partial)

Negative Date: 1906
Print Date: 1906
Walpi, Southwest

A classic Curtis photograph of a Hopi woman making traditional flat bread ("Piki"). Piki is cornbread baked in colored sheets of paper-like thinness. The batter is spread on the baking-stone with the bare hand, and the quickly baked sheet is folded and laid on the basket at the baker's left. Piki was a staple of the Hopi diet. It is estimated that as few as 1 in 500 Curtis prints are platinum, making this vintage platinum print all the more desirable and rare. This print was created by hand in Curtis' Seattle studio.

    Provenance:
  • Edward Curtis Studio
    Private Collection(s)
    The Christopher G. Cardozo Collection, 2005

    Publication History - Image:
    The North American Indian (1907-1930), Portfolio 12, Plate #432
    Native Nations, Bulfinch Press, 1993, Page 117
    Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Simon & Schuster, 2000, Page 86
    Edward S. Curtis: The Women, Bulfinch Press, 2005, Page 9, 88
    Edward S. Curtis One Hundred Masterworks, Delmonico Books/Prestel Publishing, 2015, Page 89
  • Dimensions:
  • 16 3/8 x 12 in. (41.59 x 30.48 cm.)
  • Artist Name:
  • Edward S. Curtis
  • Medium:
  • platinum print
  • Condition:
  • This print is in excellent condition overall. Mounted to vintage board. There is very minor, scattered historic retouching, only visible upon close inspection. There is minor, scattered silvering at extreme margin edges of the print recto, which is typical of Curtis platinum prints of this era.

    The condition reports for the lots offered by Santa Fe Art Auction (SFAA) are provided as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers. The reports are not intended to nor do they substitute for physical examination by a buyer or the buyer's advisors. The condition reports are prepared by SFAA staff members who are not art conservators or restorers, nor do they possess the qualifications needed for comprehensive evaluation. Each condition report is an opinion of the staff member and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply anything as to the condition of a particular lot. Buyers are reminded that the limited warranties are set forth in the Terms and Conditions of Sale and do not extend to condition. Each lot is sold as-is.

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