Frank Patania, Sr. — Anglo Silversmith Hallmark
Anglo · documented in the T.Skies hallmark library
Frank Patania, Sr. (1899–1964) was an Italian-American silversmith and shop owner based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is not a Native American maker; Hougart documents him alongside Native makers as a significant non-Native figure in the Southwestern silver tradition. Hougart (2020, p. 63) records his heritage as Italian-American. He established a style of hand-crafted Southwestern American jewelry by blending European silversmith technology and Native American design.
Patania opened his Santa Fe-based Thunderbird Curios shop in 1927; the name was later changed to the Thunderbird Shop. The shop was the home base for a select group of talented Native American silversmiths who could hone their skills and where their products were sold. Among the Native silversmiths who worked at Patania's shops over the years were Charles Begay, Alberto Contreras, Carlos Díaz, Don Enos, Jimmy Herald, Lewis Lomay, Julian Lovato, Arturo (Arthur) and Andy Rivera. A second shop was opened in Tucson in 1937.
The shop was among the early adopters of using petrified wood in jewelry. Because of his early influence on Southwestern silver crafts, Patania has been referred to as "a William Spratling of the American Southwest." The Thunderbird Shop's logo — a thunderbird — was stamped on each product.
Frank Patania, Sr. died in 1964. The Santa Fe shop closed that year and was re-opened in 1968 by his son Frank Patania, Jr. (1932–). His grandson Samuel Frank Patania (1959–) later took over management of the Tucson-based Thunderbird Shop in 1990, renaming it Patania Sterling Silver Originals.
Heritage note: Hougart documents Frank Patania, Sr. as Anglo/non-Native — an Italian-American maker of Southwestern-style work. This directory records his heritage exactly as the source states it. Hougart explicitly documents non-Native makers in his hallmark record.
The mark
Multiple marks were used across different periods: early engraved FP inside a diamond; the conjoined FP used from the early 1940s; the thunderbird stamp introduced in the late 1930s; oval-framed variants in the 1950s.
References
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022. Thunderbird Shop entry; Frank Patania, Jr. entry.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1973.
- Ryan, Mike, II, and Philip Chambless. Turquoise in America, Part Two: 1910–1990. Callais Press, 2020. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2020.
- 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.
Know more about this silversmith or the Thunderbird Shop? Contact T.Skies.
Family Links
- Brother of Carmelo Patania, who operated the Kachina Shop in Tucson. See Carmelo Patania.
From the Library: Bedinger, Indian Silver (1973)
1973 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1973, not today.
According to Bedinger (1973, p. 213), the writer Neumann described Frank Patania of Santa Fe and Tucson as a shop owner who did not think of or call himself an Indian trader. [1]
Bedinger (1973) closed her history of modern silver with Neumann's note on Patania's motto:
“His slogan and business motto is: 'Sterling Silver Made to Order.'”
— Bedinger (1973), p. 213 [1]
From the Library: Ryan & Chambless, Turquoise in America Part Two: 1910–1990 (2020)
2020 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2020, not today.
In a gallery caption for a Number 8 Thunderbird bolo, Ryan & Chambless (2020) wrote of Frank Patania Sr.:
“Thunderbird was the name of Frank's store in Santa Fe and also the name of the Indian style jewelry he developed, handmade by Native American jewelers and often using the shadowbox design.”
— Ryan & Chambless (2020), p. 317 [2]
From the Library: Baxter, Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry (2000)
2000 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2000, not today.
Baxter (2000) recorded how he came to the Southwest:
“After working on the East Coast, Patania came to the Southwest in the 1920s to heal his tuberculosis, and he eventually established his well-known Thunderbird Shops in Santa Fe, New Mexico (1927), and Tucson, Arizona (1937).”
— Baxter (2000), p. 129 [3]
Baxter (2000) credited him with spreading a practice:
“Works by Patania carried hallmarks, a practice he taught to the various native silversmiths who worked for him.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 129 [3]
This profile is maintained in support of silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.
Name card shown; hallmark photo to come.