Paul Vigil (Tesuque Pueblo) 1977 Signed Original Deer Dancer Painting

An original painting by Paul Vigil (Tesuque Pueblo, b. 1945), signed and dated "PAUL VIGIL '77" at the lower right. The work depicts a Deer Dancer in profile, rendered in the flat, linear style characteristic of mid-20th-century Pueblo painting — descended from the Santa Fe Indian School "Studio" tradition established by Dorothy Dunn. The figure is shown mid-stride, leaning forward on two pine-tipped sticks that serve as the dancer's forelegs, body painted white, head crowned with antlers and a green tablita ornamented with evergreen boughs and a red feather. Beadwork, sash, kilt, moccasins, and tail are picked out in saturated gouache against the untouched cream ground.

Paul Vigil descends from a notable Tesuque artistic lineage and is known for ceremonial figure studies executed with disciplined draftsmanship and exacting attention to regalia. The Deer Dance is a winter ceremonial performed across the northern Rio Grande pueblos, honoring the relationship between hunter and game. Presented in a quartersawn oak frame with sage-green linen-look mat behind UV-protective glass — a presentation that suits the work's quiet, formal character.

CONDITION

Very Good. The painting itself presents cleanly with bright pigments and no remarkable damage observed through the glazing. Minor scuffing to the oak frame consistent with age and handling. Not examined out of frame.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Artist: Paul Vigil (Tesuque Pueblo)
• Date: 1977
• Medium: Gouache on paper
• Signature: "PAUL VIGIL '77" lower right
• Frame: Oak, matted behind UV-protective glass
• Overall (Framed): 19 1/2" H × 15 1/2" W × 1" D
• Visible Image: 9 1/2" H × 6 1/2" W