Anthony Lovato
Overview
Anthony Lovato (born 1958) is a Kewa jeweler, a metalsmith since 1984, and a multiple award winner. Hougart documents a wide working range: modern jewelry, tufa casting, hand-wrought work, hollowware, and petroglyph designs and figures, across pendants, necklaces, chains, and bracelets, including cast work.
The family line Hougart records runs deep: he is the son of Mary C. and Sedalio Fidel Lovato (neither yet in the directory), brother of Harold Lovato (not yet in the directory), and grandson of Leo Coriz. He is the father of Joel Pajarito, Cordell Pajarito, and Ramona Garcia (not yet in the directory).
The Mark
"Anthony Lovato (1958-; Kewa). … Modern jewelry; tufa casting; hand wrought; hollowware; petroglyph designs; figures; pendants, necklaces, chains, bracelets; cast work; hand scribed the outline. Son of Mary C. and Sedalio Fidel Lovato. Brother of Harold Lovato. Grandson of Leo Coriz. Metalsmith since 1984. Father of Joel and Cordell Pajarito and Ramona Garcia. Multiple award winner. Mark: A L (conjoined [inside a symbol], often with a date, [with 'SD' for Santo Domingo Pueblo] or KEWA)"
— Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022).
The marks as documented in Hougart's hallmark reference: A L (conjoined, inside a symbol; often with a date; with "SD" for Santo Domingo Pueblo or "KEWA").
References
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
Know more about this artist? Contact T.Skies.
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
2007 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2007, not today.
Anthony Lovato told Bahti (2007) that his career began in 1975 with sand-cast work:
“I learned from my dad and grandpa.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 103 [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 103), Anthony then earned an associate's degree in fine arts at IAIA in 1978, and in 1980-81 worked as an exhibit preparator at the Museum of Northern Arizona while taking jewelry classes at NAU. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 104), Anthony spent two years at Keams Canyon learning to make Hopi-style pottery, which he said taught him about positive and negative space in his designs; he had been a full-time jeweler since 1984, and in 1993 the pueblo commissioned him to design and sand-cast sterling badges for the Santo Domingo Tribal Police Department. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 102), Anthony and his late brother Harold both followed their grandfather Leo Coriz's sand-casting tradition, and their grandfather told them where to find the tuff for their molds. [1]
From the Library: Baxter, Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry (2000)
2000 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2000, not today.
Baxter (2000, p. 151) named Anthony Lovato (Santo Domingo), with Edison Cummings (Navajo), among the contemporary artists who had used reticulation, a fire-textured silver surface, to give their pieces an updated, avant-garde look. [2]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 225) recorded Anthony Lovato as Santo Domingo, born in 1958 and active from 1974 in contemporary, tufacast, set stone and mosaic jewelry, metalsmithing and sculpture, a son of Sedelio F. Lovato and Mary C. Lovato, taught by Leo Coriz, Sedelio Lovato, Skip Holbrook and Allan Houser, with Best of Classification and Best of Division at Indian Market in 1996. [3]
Anthony Lovato told Schaaf (2003) that he
“use tufa sandstone only found on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 226 [3]
Schaaf (2003) called him
“Anthony Lovato is one of the great masters in contemporary”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 226 [3]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice a one-year difference in his start. Anthony told Bahti his career began in 1975, while Schaaf's 2003 entry lists him as active from 1974. I show both, with his own account first.
Sources
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- Baxter, Paula A., with Allison Bird-Romero. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry: A Guide to History, People, and Terms. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 2000. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2000.
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.
Name card shown; hallmark photo to come.