NAVAJO BEADED “MAKING TORTILLAS AT HER STOVE” BY SHEILA ANTONIO

$250.00

Out of stock

Sheila Antonio, a Navajo bead artist, made this with a technique she invented of using metal parts recycled from machines to form the skeletons for the figures she created. This figure is a depiction of Navajo culture, and the details of her work are amazing. Navajo mothers often make warm tortillas for their families, using an old fashioned stove with a chimney. Their stoves are sometimes heated with wood (and there is firewood beside the stove) or coal (and there is black coal in the other side of the stove). The beaded stove has a beaded pot of beans, a beaded coffee pot, and a beaded pan holding tortillas. Her two children wait for a treat. The mother is dressed in traditional Navajo clothes, including a turquoise necklace with a jacla. The scene is set on a round base. It is three inches tall (8 cm.).

Sheila Antonio is unique, the only one to do this type of work. She has not been seen in quite a while, so there is some uncertainty about whether she is still alive. A collector is selling her collection of beaded scenes, which were made in the 1990’s, so this is a rare and unique opportunity to purchase them.

This figurine will be sold individually, but there may also be a price for the entire collection. Please contact the shop if you are interested in the whole collection.