Zuni Blue Calcite Bear & Frog Fetish Carvings, Pair View Watchlist >
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Lot # G623
System ID # 30483358
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Zuni Blue Calcite Bear & Frog Fetish Carvings, Pair
A matched pair of miniature Zuni fetish carvings — one bear, one frog — both worked from blue calcite with the pale blue-grey translucency and soft white clouding characteristic of the stone. Rust-colored iron oxide veining threads through both pieces, a natural feature of this calcite source that gives each carving its own character. Both are cut in the flat, polished silhouette style long associated with Zuni fetish work: the bear with a clean muzzle line and defined leg notch, the frog rendered low and compact with tucked legs.
Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, is the heart of the fetish carving tradition, and both subjects here belong to the six directional fetishes central to Zuni spiritual practice — the bear tied to strength and healing, the frog to water and rain.
CONDITION
Good. No remarkable damage to either piece. Surfaces are polished throughout; the iron oxide veins are a natural feature of the stone, not damage.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Bear: 1 1/2" L × 1" H × 1/4" D
- Bear Weight: 12.7 g
- Frog: 15/16" × 15/16" × 1/2"
- Frog Weight: 5.2 g
- Material: Blue calcite
- Total Pieces: 2
- U.S. Quarter (0.955" Dia.) Shown for Scale — Not Included
