Manuel Cleveland Hano Clown Kachina — Signed, Second Mesa Hopi, 14" Seated

This large seated Hano Clown kachina is the work of Manuel Cleveland, a Second Mesa Hopi artist recognized as one of the foremost carvers of the Koshare/Hano Clown figure. Carved from cottonwood root and finished with leather, real fur, and polychrome paint, the figure depicts the clown in his signature black-and-white horizontal stripe pattern — the dress of the Koshari as strictly observed in Hopi ceremonial tradition. The grinning open-mouth face features a human hair wig, black dot eyes, and a round nose, topped by two striped horn projections with leather fringe tassels. The figure holds a carved and painted watermelon slice — a recurring motif in Cleveland's work referencing the Koshare's role as a pantomime of gluttony — and wears a leather medicine pouch at the chest. The legs terminate in meticulously painted cowboy boots with blue starburst and scrollwork motifs. The underside of the cottonwood stump base is signed in ballpoint "Hano Clown / By / M. Cleveland."

Additional carved and painted watermelon slice accessories are arranged on the stump base alongside leather breechcloth and wrist tie elements. Cleveland was born September 4, 1964, on Second Mesa, Arizona, the son of a Hopi mother and Navajo father — Hopi by tradition. He lives in Tsayatoh, New Mexico.

CONDITION Good. Paint is vibrant overall with strong color retention and fine detail intact across most surfaces. The tip of the figure's right thumb is absent, and scattered chipping is present in the polychrome paint at several points on the body.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Height: 14"
• Width: 7.75"
• Depth: 8"
• Materials: Cottonwood root, leather, fur, polychrome paint
• Artist: Manuel Cleveland (Second Mesa, Hopi)
• Signed: "Hano Clown / By / M. Cleveland" — ballpoint, underside of base

Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale