Ingmars Lindbergs
Director
Lot 16
A Charlie Willeto wood sculpture
9 December 2025, 12:00 PST
Los AngelesUS$1,000 - US$1,500
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Kim Jarand
Specialist, Head of Sale
Charlie Willeto
Diné (Navajo), (1897-1964), untitled, sculpture depicting an owl, carved wood and pigment.
height 10in, width 5 1/4in
height 10in, width 5 1/4in
Footnotes
Provenance
William "Greg" LaChapelle Collection, Santa Fe. NM, catalog #GL-647
John C. Hill Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
The Stanley Miller Collection of Native American Art, acquired from the above circa 1999
Illustrated
Smither, John & Stephanie, et. al., Collective Willeto: The Visionary Carvings of a Navajo Artist, 2002, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, NM, p. 108
For additional perspective on the artist and his work, see "The World According to Charlie Willeto" by Susan Brown McGreevy, American Indian Art Magazine, Spring 2010, Volume 35, No. 2, pp. 62-70. "Willeto appears to have been particularly fascinated by owls, since he created many examples. This departure is rather perplexing, since owls hold such an ambiguous position in Navajo culture. On the one hand, they play an important role in the origin narrative and are hence considered sacred, but on the other hand, some Navajos believe they are evil spirits and portents of death. However, Willeto was apparently undaunted by potential controversy. His stylized owls stand erect, with large hypnotic eyes that seem to scrutinize the world around them with surprise. While there is no doubt that his owls are enchanting, there is a phantom energy that seems to hover around them. The most curious aspect of the owls is the painted mustaches that often frame sardonic smiles. Although all owls have whiskers, Willeto's interpretation is strictly anthropomorphic. The meaning, or perhaps symbolism, behind the fanciful adornments is cryptic; nonetheless, the mustaches add a peculiar kind of quirky charm to the birds. Perhaps that was Willeto's idea." Ibid. pp. 66-67