Native American Pueblo Toy Cradleboard and Wood Doll Arizona ca. 1930

Native American, Southwestern United States, Arizona, probably Hopi, ca. 1920 to 1940 CE. A charming miniature cradleboard made like its full-size counterpart: a flat wooden backboard with a rounded top, fitted with a wooden hood bar that would have shaded an infant’s face, and pierced along its edges for lashings. A carved wooden doll lies secured to the board beneath a cloth wrap. The doll has a cylindrical head with simple pierced eyes and a painted mouth, and a blocky body with feet showing below. It is painted in white and blue-grey mineral pigments, now softly worn to reveal the wood beneath. Pueblo children received cradleboards and dolls like this as toys and teaching objects, and this example has a lovely, well-worn simplicity. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 206195

Estimate:$400

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