Bottlecap Snake

Felipe Archuleta, Bottlecap Snake, 1975, mixed media: bottlecaps, carved wood, inner tube, wire, ink marker, paint, wood pulp, and adhesive, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.1
Felipe Archuleta, Bottlecap Snake, 1975, mixed media: bottlecaps, carved wood, inner tube, wire, ink marker, paint, wood pulp, and adhesive, 1 3480 781 34 in. (4.5205.54.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.1

Artwork Details

Title
Bottlecap Snake
Date
1975
Dimensions
1 3480 781 34 in. (4.5205.54.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums Description
mixed media: bottlecaps, carved wood, inner tube, wire, ink marker, paint, wood pulp, and adhesive
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — reptile — snake
Object Number
1988.74.1

Artwork Description

Best known for his wooden animal sculptures, Felipe Archuleta began by carving animals such as rabbits, sheep, and burros around his home in New Mexico. The more exotic animals came later and were inspired by images he saw in National Geographic magazine. (Nancy Schraffenberger, “A Natural Talent,” Guideposts, March 1987) In the 1970s the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe exhibited his work, and subsequently Archuleta found his carvings in great demand from collectors. The artist was both pleased and dismayed by the attention he received: although he enjoyed having his work praised, he felt pressure to keep up with special requests and was often unable to attend to his own interests. (Lynette I. Rhodes, American Folk Art: From the Traditional to the Naïve, 1978). Bottlecap Snake was made for a collector from the bottle caps he had saved.

Works by this artist (626 items)

Werner Drewes, Central Density, 1973, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.116
Central Density
Date1973
oil on canvas
On view
Werner Drewes, Pointed Brown and Floating Circles, 1933, oil, pen and ink, and pencil on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.17
Pointed Brown and Floating Circles
Date1933
oil, pen and ink, and pencil on wood panel
On view
Werner Drewes, Verticals (no. 267), color woodcut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1968.9.98
Verticals (no. 267)
color woodcut
Not on view
Werner Drewes, Suspended Forms, woodcut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1977.21.11
Suspended Forms
woodcut
Not on view

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Date1941-1952
linocut
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Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
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Date1976
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Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
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Nathan Oliveira, Site with Blue and White, 1978, monotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Moses Lasky, 2004.32.14
Site with Blue and White
Date1978
monotype
Not on view