Lot 82
Robert "Spooner" Marcus (Native American, Pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh, XXI century). Glass turtle, 2008. Signed and dated on underside of base. A charming celebration of form, light, and lineage, this vibrant green glass turtle by Robert 'Spooner' Marcus reflects the artist's deep-rooted connection to his Pueblo heritage through a thoroughly contemporary medium. Dated 2008 and signed on the underside, the whimsical creature glows with a translucent radiance, its smooth, rounded shell capturing soft inner striations like swirling water or wind-blown grass. Though rendered in handblown glass, the stylized shape and clean, sculptural lines evoke the traditional ceramic animal effigies of Pueblo pottery. Marcus's work bridges generations of artistic innovation, shaped not only by his own vision but also by the legacy of his great-grandmother Regina Cata - one of the key figures in the revival of traditional Ohkay Owingeh pottery. Size: 3.4" L x 3" W x 2.4" H (8.6 cm x 7.6 cm x 6.1 cm)
His grandmother and mother were potters too, and this turtle may be read as both homage and evolution: pottery reimagined in molten translucence. This playful yet meditative work is part of Marcus's broader practice of fusing Pueblo forms with glass artistry. Like his glass pots inspired by micaceous clay vessels, the turtle offers a tender reflection on resilience, tradition, and reinterpretation - inviting the viewer to see ancestral forms not as relics, but as living, luminous expressions of culture.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, received as a gift in 2022; ex-Patricia M. Newman, purchased at an Indian Art Market
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#196219
- Condition: Intact and in excellent overall condition. Signed and dated on underside of base.
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