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A wonderful and very charming Navajo pictorial “Pig” weaving by Fannie Pete, 1995

ex: Russell Foutz Indian Room, Farmington, NM

ex: Daniel and Janet Hidding Collection, Barrington, IL

This is just about the coolest and cutest porker anyone has ever seen, absolutely guaranteed to make you crack a big smile the moment you look at him or her, probably her. This lovely Navajo "Pig-torial" pictorial weaving comes from the fertile imagination and talented hands of Navajo weaver, Fannie Pete (b.1958). Fannie Pete comes from a distinguished family of Navajo weavers, her Mother, Bessie Pete and her sister, Julia Pete are both prominent Navajo weavers in the Four Corners area of the Southwest.

Fannie Pete’s folk art style Navajo weavings are represented in a number of important private collections, among them that of Chuck and Jan Rosenak of Santa Fe, NM, the authors of "Navajo Folk Art" and several other significant books on the subject and in the specific case of this particular pigtorial weaving, the exceptional Navajo weaving collection of the late Daniel and Janet Hidding of northern Illinois. We can personally attest to the Hidding’s excellent taste and the exalted quality of their weaving collection having sold them two of the very finest, most important historic Classic-Period Navajo and Pueblo weavings we have ever had the opportunity to handle.

Above left, renowned Indian Trader, J. Russell Foutz, former proprietor of the Russell Foutz Indian Room on Main Street in downtown Farmington, NM. Above right, Russell Foutz's son, Edwin (Eddie) Foutz, behind the counter of his Indian Trading Post at Shiprock, New Mexico. Below left, an example of a paper sales tag on a Navajo rug from the Russell Foutz Indian Room. A tag such as this one was most likely attached to this pictorial Pig weaving at the time it was originally purchased.

Above left photo source and © Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. Above right photo source and © Shiprock Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

Above, a competition “show pig” looking very much like the hero pig shown in this weaving.

Photo source and © Brockman Farms

"You can learn a lot from the (Navajo) Indian culture. You can learn their medicine,

their care of their people. It's a lot that you get from their culture--more than we have

to give--they have more to give to us than we give back."

-J. Russell Foutz

Quotation Source: Northern Arizona University, United Indian Trader’s Association Oral History Project

And where the Hiddings originally acquired this weaving in 1997 is an equally important part of the story.

They purchased it at the famous Russell Foutz Indian Room trading post in Farmington, New Mexico on the very edge

of the Navajo Reservation in far Northwestern New Mexico. Joseph Russell Foutz (1914-2005) was the second generation founder of the prominent Foutz family Indian trading empire in the Four Corners region which continues

on strongly to this day in the Four corners area and in Santa Fe. Russell and his son, Edwin were two of the foremost and most knowledgable Indian traders ever whose specialty was in seeking out, finding and promoting the finest quality contemporary Navajo weavings by the finest Navajo weavers as they very clearly and successfully did here with

this marvelous piece.  

The weaving is done in aniline-dyed and natural handpsun wool yarns and it measures 25" in height by 29" in width.

The weaving is in completely excellent original condition with no problems at all. All of the weaving’s selvedges and tassels are intact, there are no holes or evidence of moth grazing and there is no "B" side fading apparent. The colors on both sides of the weaving are equally strong and vivid. The weaving is fairly fine, there are approximately 9-10 warps to the inch and 18-20 wefts to the inch.

This wonderful textile is a complete "crossover" type piece in our view, equally interesting and attractive to Navajo weaving collectors, folk art collectors and collectors of general Americana. All that remains to be done here is to hang this charming little "Pigtorial" weaving on the wall and sit back and smile at its pure porcine goodness and character, Navajo style. The weaving would also look just wonderful mounted inside a shadowbox style frame.

It's a pure, simple, beautiful artistic delight, you can't help but laugh.

SOLD