Ray Growler — Monumental Goat Sculpture, Curly Wool, Leather & Horn, ca 1990s

An extraordinary and large-scale example attributed to Navajo mixed-media sculptor Ray Growler (American, Navajo, b. 1965). Standing at 26.5″ H × 30″ L × 14″ D and weighing approximately 15 lbs, this commanding sculpture is enveloped in a luxuriously dense coat of curly cream-wool—meticulously applied over an underlying sculpted structure. The natural horns, hand-stitched leather ears and tail, and finely rendered facial expression evoke Growler’s signature fusion of folk-art ingenuity and modern studio craft.

Growler draws from the land and the Navajo tradition—employing home-cured pelts, carved wood frames, and found animal horns to transform everyday life-size animal forms into whimsically elegant decorative companions. A comparable work, Billy Goat (ca 1990), is held in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, attesting to the artist’s cultural significance and collector appeal. Reference: Smithsonian American Art Museum

This example is especially desirable for its scale (over two feet tall), plush wool texture, and the survival of key original material elements (horns, leather tail). It represents Growler’s mature period and is poised for a discerning design or folk-art collection as a show-piece of Southwestern animal sculpture.

Condition:

Very good overall. The wool remains soft, full and evenly presented; the leather ears and tail show light age-patina; the horns show minor wear consistent with age and modest handling. No structural damage or major restoration is evident; overall excellent display integrity for a sculptural piece of this material.

Dimensions:

26.5″ H × 30″ L × 14″ D
Weight: approx. 15 lbs
(Campbell’s soup can shown in images for visual scale.)