Mid-Century Traditional Huichol Beaded Gourd Bowl with Many Creatures

Beaded gourd bowls like this continue to be made and sold by the indigenous Huichol people of the Sierra Madre mountains in West-Central Mexico, but it harder to find older examples in beautiful condition, as this one is, c. 1960s. Made by the Huichol since trade with Europeans introduced the availability of glass beads, these were/are made by coating the interior of the gourd with beeswax, then pressing each bead by hand into the wax. I of course love the color here, and the animals--antlered deer circulating around the sun-like concentric rings at center, with stars and smaller animals marching along the lip. Charming.

 4 3/4" d x 2" t. Very good condition, with little if any bead loss, very sound and sturdy, nice patina.