Silversmith’s bench and jewelry
by Manuel Naranjo
ca. 1950

Manuel Naranjo made and used this workbench on the base of a treadle sewing machine around 1950. He worked on this bench in the window of Kohlberg’s for 40 years. Height 33.5 inches.

Workbench purchased by the Wheelwright Museum Collectors’ Circle.

Silver cup
by Ambrose Roanhorse
ca. 1937

Roanhorse made this unsigned piece for the Indian Arts and Crafts Board “as one of several possibilities for new forms in Navajo silverwork.”

Denver Art Museum, 1953.293, museum purchase from the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.

Silver necklace
by Ambrose Roanhorse
probably 1950s

Roanhorse’s hallmark on the back of the naja is a stylized rocking horse incorporating the letters A and R.

Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 47/1200, gift of Susan Brown McGreevy and Tom McGreevy.

Silver and Turquoise Necklace
by Mark Chee

Mark Chee became an accomplished jeweler. He was awarded a blue ribbon for this silver and turquoise necklace at the 1946 Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonial. His hallmark, on the back of the naja, is the name, Chee, enclosed in the profile of a bird’s head and upper torso.

Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 47/750, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur W. Rogers in honor of Mark Chee.

Silver Box, Bracelet, and Ring
by David Taliman
1950s or 1960s

David Taliman made this silver box, bracelet, and ring, all set with turquoise, in the 1950s or 1960s. All are hallmarked d. taliman, and the box is also stamped hand made sterling. Bracelet and ring, Naranjo Family Collection.

Box: Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 47/589, gift of Byron Harvey III.

Hand Drums

Hand drums made at Tesuque from cheese rings and either goatskin or sheepskin. Left: collected at Tesuque, August 1886. Right: collected at Santa Fe, January 1885.

Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, Department of Cultural Affairs, Santa Fe, 23968/12, 23165/12.

Rattle
ca. 1890

Rattle made at Tesuque from cowhide or horsehide with a tail attached to the handle, ca. 1890. The floral design was typically painted on Tesuque pottery of the late nineteenth century.

Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, Department of Cultural Affairs, Santa Fe, 23140/12.

Trio of Tesuque Rain Gods

This trio of Tesuque rain gods represents the Japanese maxim, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

Girard Foundation Collection, Museum of International Folk Art, Department of Cultural Affairs, Santa Fe, A.1979.53.716V.

Silver Watch
by an unidentified Navago silversmith
ca. 1880-1890

Silver watch fob by an unidentified Navajo silversmith, ca. 1880–1890. Each of the large panels has a loop on its back, with which it is attached to a strap of leather.

Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 2008.2.1, gift of George Taylor Anderman.

Silver Spoons & Letter Opener
by Jake (Navajo Silversmith)
ca. 1880s

Silver spoons and letter opener attributed to the Navajo silversmith, Jake, who worked at Fort Wingate, New Mexico, in the 1880s.

Letter opener: collection of Harold J. Evetts.

Spoons: Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, 2002.13.21, 2002.13.22, the Carl Lewis Druckman Collection.

Ashtrays
from Southwest Arts & Crafts
ca. 1930s

The head, tail, and legs on the copper bird at left are nickel silver. Harold Gans stated that of all the items in the shops line, the cowboy-hat ashtray was the most time-consuming to make; this example is silver, but in catalogs the type was offered only in copper. No jewelry or other metalwork made at Southwest Arts & Crafts prior to World War II is hallmarked.

Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian (in order as described), 47/1388, 47/1385, 47/1344, gift of Susan Brown McGreevy.

Set of Silver Brooch, Bracelet, and Ring
by Manuel Naranjo
ca. 1940

Manuel Naranjo made this matching set of silver brooch, bracelet, and ring, all set with moss agate, in about 1940 for Denver curio dealer E. Rosalia Callahan. He made the bezels without backs so light could pass through the stones. Naranjo did not sign any of his work before World War II, and he made all of his jewelry with commercial silver sheet and wire.

Naranjo Family Collection.