I got this amazing pendant as part of an Goodwill auction. The snake hallmark intrigued me and my research suggests the H and snake motif are the hallmarks of Hopi artist Morris Robinson (1901-1987). Is this indeed a pendant crafted by him? Can you possibly date it roughly? And value? I love it! Thank you for your help.
8 Likes
I can’t help you with date or value, but it does seem to be in the style of his work. Very interesting, his jewelry doesn’t look like typical Hopi. If it’s one of his, lucky you to find it at a Goodwill auction.
2 Likes
What an interesting piece. Most silversmiths learn on copper because of the cost of silver. The copper will be filled with stamp designs, and many times it is used to just see what the stamp is going to look like on the piece of jewelry. This reminds me of that practice, then liking the look and turning it into a pendant. It would have been great to hear Morris talk about the creation of this piece.
5 Likes
Thank you! Appreciate your feedback! The Morris Robinson crafted items I found on the internet as part of my research were far more elaborate, but just the thought of this pendant likely being one of his creations is heartening enough. He was a great artist. I came across a very similar Morris pendant in a Pinterest post, but it is no longer available on Ebay.
3 Likes
That’s definitely Morris Robinson’s small arrow stamp with the noticeable kick out on the end of the arrow’s fletch (flight feathers). He had a larger arrow with more pronounced feathers also. Here is a picture incorporating both the large and the small arrows along with the bird stamp in the center of the conchos. The bottom, half round crescent, stamp seems to be on the shoulders of the cut out birds.
FYI, Liz Wallace, who made the bowl on the cover of Pat and Kim Messier’s book “Reassessing Hallmarks of Native Southwest Jewelry”, owns Morris Robinsons collection of old stamps that he used.
4 Likes
Beautiful stamps, Jason. Thanks for posting!
1 Like
Same stamps in the bottom of the bowl. This is at the Heard Museum.
7 Likes
How wonderful! Thank you for posting this!
Thank you for this incredible information! Learnt so much!