1983
20th century
8 1/4 in. x 4 1/2 in. x 3/8 in. (20.96 cm x 11.43 cm x 0.95 cm)
Elmer Leon,
Indigenous American: Tamaya (Santa Ana),
b. 20th c.
Object Type:
cross
Medium and Support:
Paint and wheat straw on wood
Credit Line:
Bequest of Bill Bomar known as the Jewel Nail Bomar and William P. Bomar Jr. Collection
Accession Number:
BC.1992.156
Object Description
Latin style cross. Wooden, painted black. Design of wheat straw on cross arm and standard with design in center of cross bar.
The art form of straw appliqué on wood dates back to time of the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th Century in what is now New Mexico. The pueblo peoples adopted the carving of Santos, Bultos and Retablos and other religious art forms in these early years of Spanish control. As gold metal was hard to come by, crosses and other religious objects were painted a deep black or indigo and decorated with wheat that had been ironed into flat, golden pieces. Straw appliqué techniques seem to have been done only at Santa Ana Pueblo. The art form disappeared in the 17th Century, had a slight revival during the 1930s Works Project Administration Art Project, but really didn't succeed at full revival until the 1950s.
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