Jud Cooper Wall Plaque& Navajo Buffalo Warrior Kachina by Nelson Kee

A two-piece grouping of New Mexico-made decorative art. The Buffalo Warrior Kachina is signed on the underside of the cedar slab base "Buffalo Warrior by Nelson Kee Navajo" and stands as a hand-carved, hand-painted figure clothed in black felt with fringe detail, dark fur trim at the wrists, ankles, and head, and a feathered hoop held aloft in one hand. A painted lightning-bolt motif decorates the kilt and the chest carries a white spotted medallion. The wood-disc base shows natural bark edge and a visible drying check.

The companion wall plaque is a copper-finished, textured ceramic piece by Jud Cooper of Copper Images, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM, with verso business-card label intact. Oblong form, suspended from a cinnamon-stick crossbar with twine and raffia ties, decorated in relief with a thunderbird, geometric medallions, and a stylized bear with heartline — finished in copper, turquoise, and cream washes over an impressed snakeskin-textured ground.

CONDITION

Both pieces grade Good. The kachina retains its fur, feathers, and felt clothing intact with minor shedding; the cedar base shows a natural drying check. The plaque is structurally sound with light surface wear to the painted finish; verso label is taped and shows fading to the maker's name.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Kachina: 8" H × 5" W × 3" D
• Wall Plaque: 12" H × 4.5" W
• Kachina Materials: Hand-carved wood, hand-painted, fur, feathers, leather/felt
• Plaque Materials: Ceramic, cinnamon stick, twine, raffia
• Kachina Signature: "Buffalo Warrior by Nelson Kee Navajo" (verso of base)
• Plaque Maker: Jud Cooper, Copper Images (Albuquerque & Santa Fe, NM) — verso business card
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included