Zuni Turquoise Duck Fetish Carving

A duck like this one is a Zuni fetish you don't see as often as other animals.

Description: This hand carved Zuni duck is a wonderful representation because he's created in all turquoise - the most powerful of all stones. One side of his body shows more heavily matrixed turquoise than the other for a dynamic effect. His whole body is hand etched to resemble feathers, and he has two inlaid coral eyes.

Significance: A duck fetish is very special because for the Zuni people it represents the spirits of loved ones who have passed on. That's precisely why, unlike most fetishes at Turquoise & Tufa, this duck remains unnamed. 

Dimensions: He measures 1 1/8" long x 1" tall and 3/8" wide. It takes the right light to see, but he's etched B.E. on the bottom, which may be the mark of Bremette Epaloose, a younger Zuni carver who passed away in 2015.

Provenance: 

comes from the Native American art and jewelry collection of a beautiful woman who grew up in Germany during World War II. Post war, she moved to the United States and became a model in New York City. She eventually married, left her modeling career, and moved to El Paso with her husband. In El Paso, she first experienced the charm of Native American art and jewelry. 

Many years later, she attended her first of several celebrated Native American art field trips hosted by Martha Struever. During this time, she expanded her collection of Native American art and jewelry. Her collection wasn't vast, but it was extremely meaningful to her.

After a long and full life, this dear woman recently passed away. She knew that her collection which she lovingly called her "treasures" was to be handled by Turquoise & Tufa, and she expressed her wishes that these dear fetishes would bring as much joy to us as they did to her.