HOPI SNAKE DANCER PAINTING ON STONE by T.H. Topolewski, 1974

Description

Offering a beautiful painting on stone by renowned artist T.H. Topolewski. from 1974. This beautiful piece depicts a pair of Hopi Indian Snake Dancers. The Snake Dance is one of the most
sacred ceremonies among the Hopi.
The Snake Dancer captures a rattlesnake and dances with it during the ceremony.
When the ceremony is over, the snake is returned to its home in the wild.
Depicted in this painting are two Hopi Indian priests, dancing with the rattlesnake. The second priest distracts the snake with a feather while the
first
priest holds the snake in his mouth and dances with it. Both figures are presented
in traditional ceremonial costumes.
The serpentine image is painted or woven into the skirt of the dancer, and the face of the dancer is blackened with soot from cheeks to forehead. The dancer also wears a black wig covered with feathers or branches and a fox pelt is often hung from the back of their waist belts. This is a sacred ceremony usually open only to tribal members. This fine painting on beautifully grained white stone evokes the spirit of the dance and beautifully honors the solemn nature of the ceremony. It measures about 11" tall and and comes with its stand. Signed on the reverse and dated "74", with an inscription about the Hopi Snake Dance.
There are two small areas at the bottom of the stone slab have been repaired where the stone previously cracked along edge fissures. Both are excellent repairs, stable, and are not readily seen. They do not impact the art work and will not present a future issue because they have been well stabilized. See the last two photos.
Please see all the photos for an accurate description. This is a one-of-a-kind hand painted work of art, not a production piece.