Mary Weebothee — Zuni Silversmith
Mary Weebothee did the stonework; her husband, Lee Weebothee, did the silver. Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists her as "Mary Weebothee (1934-1995; Zuni)," active from the 1940s until 1995 in cluster work, some nugget work, set stones, mosaic inlay and snake eye sets, records that "Mary did the stonework in collaboration with husband Lee who did the silver work," and calls her a "Multiple award winner" (Hougart 2022, p. 333).
Writers noticed the cluster work early. Margery Bedinger's Indian Silver wrote in 1973 that "Lee and Mary Weebothee of Zuni are famous for their cabochon-cut clusterwork" (Bedinger 1973, p. 194). In Joseph Stacey's Turquoise Blue Book and Indian Jewelry Digest, Preston Monongye singled out the couple's "very fine cluster work," refined into cabochon cuts (Stacey 1975, p. 76), and the same book shows a turquoise pendant and earrings "completely hand wrought by Zuni master jewelsmiths, Lee and Mary Weebothee" (Stacey 1975, p. 37).
Theda and Michael Bassman's Zuni Jewelry shows a cluster bola tie and belt buckle of coral with silver drops that she and Lee made in 1970, and a set of all-coral clusters from the 1980s (Bassman and Bassman 2006, p. 37), along with their rings and pendants in collections of 1991 (Bassman and Bassman 2006, pp. 15, 60). Nancy N. Schiffer's Turquoise Jewelry shows a cast silver ring with oval nuggets and three inlays by the couple, 1989 (Schiffer 2008, p. 41).
Her hallmark
Mary had no mark of her own. Hougart gives the stamps she shared with Lee as LEE & MARY, LEE/MARY ZUNI, Lee/Mary ZUNI and L/M W (script) (Hougart 2022, p. 333).
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References
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973.
- Stacey, Joseph, ed. Turquoise Blue Book and Indian Jewelry Digest. Arizona Highways Collectors Series. Phoenix: Arizona Highways, 1975.
- Bassman, Theda, and Michael Bassman. Zuni Jewelry. Photographs by Gene Balzer. Revised and expanded 3rd edition. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2006.
- Schiffer, Nancy N. Turquoise Jewelry. Revised 4th edition. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2008.
- 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.
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 109) named Lee and Mary Weebothee as the teachers of their daughter, the Zuni cluster and sandcast smith Darlene Charlie, born in 1958, who stamped D and DC with her husband, Dickie Charlie. [6]
Schaaf (2003, p. 110) also named them as the teachers of Dickie Charlie, their son-in-law. [6]
Schaaf (2003) entered her as
“Mary Ann Weebothee (stamped LEE & MARY; LEE/MARY ZUNI; L/MW)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 323 [6]
Schaaf (2003, p. 323) recorded Mary Ann Weebothee as Zuni, active from 1945 to 1993 in nugget, channel inlay and cluster jewelry, the daughter of Harry and Antonette Chico and the wife of Lee Weebothee, taught by her mother-in-law, Lula Weebothee, and her husband. [6]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice the books give her dates differently. Hougart lists Mary Weebothee as 1934 to 1995, while Schaaf's 2003 register gives 1933 to 1997. I show both as printed.
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