Wolves Courting at Full Moon

Media - 1997.124.161 - SAAM-1997.124.161_1 - 62364
Copied Christine McHorse, Wolves Courting at Full Moon, 1988, fired micaceous clay with piñon pitch, 11 5⁄8 x 13 7⁄8 in. (29.5 x 35.2 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.161

Artwork Details

Title
Wolves Courting at Full Moon
Artist
Date
1988
Location
Dimensions
11 5⁄8 x 13 7⁄8 in. (29.5 x 35.2 cm) diam.
Markings
bottom incised: CMcHorse
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
fired micaceous clay with piñon pitch
Classifications
Highlights
Keywords
  • Animal
  • Animal — wolf
Object Number
1997.124.161
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.124.161

Artwork Description

Christine McHorse uses sparkling mica clay from the mountains around Taos Pueblo in northern New Mexico. She breaks several Navajo traditions in her work by applying imagery to the clay and firing it in an electric kiln, but believes that she can make her "own traditions and taboos" (Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia, 1990). Animals are important in Native American culture, and in these pieces McHorse has incorporated the crow, symbol of the gateway to the supernatural, and the wolf, which Navajos regard as a teacher of wisdom.

Luce Object Quote

"Beauty and simplicity is the basis of my work in clay and silver. The shiny earth and metal provide means of expression through the oldest of crafts." Christine McHorse, Chuck and Jan Rosenak research material, 1990-1999, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

Audio