Victor Lee Masayesva — Hopi Silversmith
Hopi silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Victor Lee Masayesva, a Hopi silversmith, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: a lightning bolt, since 1995; Hougart also records VM (conjoined) (Bahti (2007, p. 115); Hougart (2022)).
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
A 2007 profile, reviewed and corrected by the artists themselves before publication. Anything described as current describes 2006-2007, not today.
According to Bahti (2007, p. 112), Victor Lee Masayesva (b. 1962), a member of the Snake Clan, took one jewelry class at the Institute of American Indian Arts with Skip Holbrook, who had students draw their own wire, roll their own sheet and make their own stamping tools. [1]
Recalling the roller-textured silver that Bob Rhodes and Verma Nequatewa showed him, Victor Lee Masayesva told Bahti (2007):
“That was 1993, and I did that style for nearly a decade.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 114 [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 115) reported that he textured silver with sandpaper, tried cuttlebone, then turned to tufa on Rhodes's suggestion, and that by 1997 his work had shifted from cut-out to overlay with an ever-changing array of textures. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 115), his hallmark, used since 1995, is a lightning bolt. [1]
From the Library: Wright, Hopi Silver (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
According to Wright (2003, p. 111), Victor Lee Masayesva, of the Snake clan at Bacavi, began silverwork in 1993; the listing's note on him reads 'Cast work', and Wright labels his mark 'Initials'. [3]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003) entered him as
“Victor Lee Masayesva (hallmark VM combined)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 234 [4]
Schaaf (2003, p. 234) recorded Victor Lee Masayesva as Hopi, active from about 1993 in gold, silver, tufa-cast, overlay and set stone jewelry, living at Bacavi on Third Mesa as of 2003, associated with Roy Talahaftewa from 1997 to 2001, with the sun, butterflies and storms as favorite designs. [4]
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.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
- Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Revised edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003. Originally published by Northland Publishing. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
- 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.
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This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and is compiled from published sources, cited above. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.