I recently purchased this belt. I am told it is Hope overlay (although one person told me it could be Navajo made in Hopi style?).
The hall mark is a plain C. Chat GTP says this is artist Clinton Pooyouma but I can find nothing about him. Any input on this?
I would also love some info on the symbolism of these. There are 17 individual conchos.
I just found this page, thank you for your knowledge!
Welcome to Turquoise People.
I have looked in two books (one is specific to Hopi artists), and canât find any Hopi artists with a single C hallmark. There isnât even a Hopi artist with the name Clinton Pooyouma listed. ChatGP is often very wrong regarding Native American jewelry.
To me the stippling (vs etching/stamping) in the oxidized area does not look particularly Hopi. If itâs possibly Navajo, there are several artists with a C mark. You can start by looking under C in this link, then go online and see if any have similar work.
Edit: I Googled Clinton Pooyouma, and could find nothing except a question on a Native American art Facebook site regarding what looks like this belt. The same answers about it being Navajo rather than Hopi were given to the poster (you?) by some quite knowledgeable people.
@NancyE Hi & Welcome. In my opinion, this isnât a Hopi made belt. The stippling, in the oxidized area, isnât associated with Hopi work (see @Ziacatâs comment). Also, I donât necessarily believe itâs Navajo, either. Most of the concho images look a bit off, to me, for Native American work. Perhaps the belt is Anglo made. Also, it can be verrry challenging to identify single letter hallmarks.
Thank you Patina. I really didnât trust the chat gpt anyway. Would either of these possibly be the same artist?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1770554568/vintage-hopi-overlay-concho-link-belt
or
Thank you Ziacat. I was also very suspect of the chat GPT and of that name.
The person who said it was not Hope was someone on the Navajo Rugs, blankets etc FB page. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17Rn2W7N58/
You are welcome, and yes, I read it. Actually a couple people felt it was Navajo not Hopi made (I am familiar with one of them who is quite knowledgeable).
Your belt does resemble the belt you posted from Alltribes. You might see if Jerry Cowboy is on Facebook, and can identify your belt (I donât have an account, but I occasionally look with my hubbyâs).
I donât believe the first belt you linked is Hopi either. Look at the black oxidized layer - it looks very much like yours. People on Etsy get stuff wrong constantly.
This actually looks like Navajo work rather than Hopi. Saw work, background stamping, additional embossed stampwork, gauges of metal used, and finishing work all look like this was made by a Navajo, or other non-Hopi smith emulating a Hopi style. Non-serif letter stamps like the âCâ with which this belt is marked are sold in sets and are commonly used in both individual and production work. Without solid provenance (an actual verifiable paper trail back to the original maker) the belt is not attributable to any particular silversmith or tribe.
Iâll add that itâs possible the pieces are cast, since these impressions would be faithfully reproduced in a really high quality casting, but at least in this piece Iâm not seeing telltale, sprue impressions, random porosity, of mold separation lines which often give castings away. A first hand examination would answer that question definitively.
Thank you. Just purchased it so not interested in selling. Appreciated the info
So in your expert opinions, you wouldnât exactly qualify this as junk, right, but just not a great example of native artistry? Is it worth anywhere close to the $900 I paid for it? it was not sold as either Hopi or Navajo, simply Concho belt.
I really appreciate all of your knowledge, I learned a lot.
Thank you.
Itâs a nice belt and the price seems fair.
