DALLAS, TX.- A magnificent belt made of intricately detailed pendants by famed Alaskan Native jeweler Denise Wallace leads a superlative assemblage of American Indian, Pre-Columbian and Tribal art lots spanning from time out of mind to the modern age at Heritage Auctions’ June 17 Ethnographic Art Signature® Auction.

The belt is one of several of the auction’s pieces of American Indian art that reflect contemporary life of Indigenous people while incorporating longtime cultural traditions. Those pieces include several others by Denise Wallace as well as a necklace by her daughter Dawn Wallace.

“Denise Wallace is a fabulous artist,” says Delia Sullivan, Heritage Auctions’ Ethnographic Art Director. “She has been working for decades, forging the traditions of her culture into modern masterpieces. This belt, entitled Women of the World, is composed of 10 large pendants representing women from various Indigenous cultures, interspersed with moon faces and babies. Altogether it is a belt, but each component detaches and can be worn as a pendant. Several of the components have hinged ‘doors’ that open to reveal more detail in the women’s garments. This is in keeping with traditional transformation masks that open up to reveal a different spirit, animal or human.”

Dawn Wallace’s necklace, Story of Sedna, invokes transformation and is similarly made of a series of connected figures. Front and center is the sea goddess Sedna from her culture’s creation myth. Various versions of the story differ in the details, but most end with her father cutting her fingers off to send her into the angry ocean after she escapes an unhappy marriage, causing her to fall into the water and transform into a goddess and the fingers into sea life. Wallace’s necklace shows Sedna as a mermaid figure without arms, ringed by the sea life that sustain her people.

Other contemporary American Indian Art in the auction includes a Hopi silver, gold and turquoise cuff bracelet by Verma Nequatewa (Sonwai), the niece of famed jeweler Charles Loloma.

The sale includes a few lots of carved katsina dolls by Wilson Tawaquaptewa (1871–1960). “Traditionally, katsina dolls were carved to teach children about the spirit world, the pantheon of Hopi spirits,” Sullivan says. Each of Tawaquaptewa’s dolls includes a little oddity, as he deliberately altered his katsina dolls so they did not represent any of the spirits from the Hopi world. While he used traditional materials and techniques, Tawaquaptewa intentionally omitted or distorted features that could be related to any one spirit or ceremonial dancer. Features characteristic of his works are barbs, polka dots and crossed eyes.

The Tawaquaptewa dolls in the auction were collected by the current owner’s grandmother, a Phoenix art teacher who befriended Tawaquaptewa and his family during frequent trips to the Hopi reservation.

The Pre-Columbian Art section of the sale has a strong selection of works including lapidary carvings in jade, serpentine and other hardstones; masks, figures and ceremonial objects; and ancient gold ornaments denoting status and authority. Among the outstanding goldwork in the auction is this unusually imaginative arachnid pendant from Panama — probably Coclé or Greater Chiriquí. It is particularly noteworthy for its intricate and stylized depiction of an eight-legged creature standing upon an overarching braided band.

A superb Chiriquí warrior or chieftain stone figure has an incredible presence and size, standing over 3 feet tall. It most likely depicts either an elite warrior or chieftain due to its frontal stance and the severed head held in the left hand. The warrior holding a trophy head is one of the most powerful and important images in ancient Costa Rican art, representing authority, status and martial power.

A large stone metate or throne from Costa Rica has a remarkable sculptural design paired with culturally symbolic jaguar imagery that imbue it with a layered significance invoking strength, prestige and supernatural power associated with rank and authority.

Notable for its larger size and striking expression, this stone Teotihuacan mask is among the more impressive examples of its kind. The larger-than-life scale and expression give it unusual presence. Pierced four times around the perimeter for attachment, with additional perforations at the earlobes, it was likely fixed to a funerary bundle, effigy or other ritual support rather than worn directly.

Unusual for its bold and abstract design, this remarkable large Maya tripod plate is richly colored and decorated with curving geometric motifs, creating a unique display of visual movement.

A highly selective offering of Tribal Art pieces emphasizes sculptural power, material ingenuity and ceremonial significance. Previously exhibited and serving as a subject of scholarly literature, this extraordinary Dan mask is truly noteworthy for the intensity of its facial features as well as the sophistication of its coiffure.

The fine crafting of this superb Polynesian chief’s totokia, or battle club, asserts its value as a marker of social prestige with its ivory inlays and as a weapon of extreme quality.