Henry Shelton – Huge Poliimana or Butterfly Maiden – SOLD

Henry Shelton was one of the most influential Hopi carvers of all time. He and a few others – such as the Honyouti brothers and Von Monongya – brought carving from the Late Action Style into the Ultra-Realistic Style (see Walsh, 2019). This is one of the best I’ve seen by Henry. This Poliimana or Butterfly Maiden is quite large at 19” tall by 10” wide. A masterpiece from the 1970s. Note the Santo Domingo style necklace that Henry has carved in bas relief on the Palhik. As shown in photo 6, the carving is signed on the left foot. Henry’s Hopi name was Ho-Ya’Oma, which means “arrow carrying;” therefore the arrow as part of the signature. There is some slight damage to where the back of the tableta has been reattached to the head, so I have reduced the price accordingly. 

Henry was born in 1929. He had a very interesting life, which is detailed in my book on Hopi carvers.