Quintin Quam Sr. | Zuni Pueblo | Monumental Pictorial Mosaic Inlay
Her name is Daphne.
And Daphne has excellent taste.
She has selected a garden.
There are flowers.
There is apparently no one else here.
And she seems extremely pleased with the arrangement.
This extraordinary pendant by Zuni artist Quintin Quam Sr. centers a deep-blue hummingbird floating through a field of flowers, framed by Quam’s unmistakable geometric mosaic architecture.
But what immediately got me is the color.
That incredible saturated blue body.
The dark head.
The warm brown wings.
Tiny flashes of green.
Then these orange-red flowers scattered around her like somebody froze an entire garden in the middle of one perfect afternoon.
And all of it has been built from individually shaped pieces of stone and shell.
This isn’t simply inlay.
It’s illustration in stone.
WHY THIS PIECE MATTERS
Daphne is one of those pieces that becomes more impressive the closer you get.
From a distance, the hummingbird reads immediately.
Then you start discovering how she’s actually constructed.
The head is separate from the body.
The eye is separately articulated.
The wing contains individually worked feather detail.
The second wing rises behind her.
Her tail extends beneath the body.
And then Quam builds an entire environment around her.
Four individual flowers appear through the composition, each assembled petal by petal around tiny yellow centers.
Around that naturalistic scene, Quam creates an architectural border of turquoise, deep blue, warm red, black and shell.
Nature inside geometry.
Movement inside structure.
That’s what makes this piece so visually satisfying.
ARTIFACT REGISTRY
Artifact: Daphne — The Midnight Garden Hummingbird Pendant
Maker: Quintin Quam Sr.
People: Zuni Pueblo
Origin: Zuni, New Mexico
Materials: Sterling silver with multistone and shell mosaic inlay
Subject: Hummingbird among flowers
Technique: Pictorial mosaic inlay
Form: Monumental statement pendant
Length: Approx. 3 inches
Weight: 28 grams
Construction: Articulated sterling bail
Hallmark: Quintin Quam Sr.
Collector’s Gallery Value: $2,700
CURATOR’S FIELD OBSERVATION
Daphne is particularly successful because Quam creates a strong focal hierarchy.
Your eye goes immediately to the saturated blue hummingbird.
Then outward to the flowers.
Then finally to the elaborate geometric architecture surrounding the scene.
Nothing competes unnecessarily.
And unlike the monumental rings, the pendant format allows this entire pictorial composition to hang vertically like an actual miniature artwork.
At approximately three inches, it has serious presence.
But at 28 grams, it’s substantially easier to wear than the scale initially suggests.
ARTIFACT CHARACTER RECORD
Name: Daphne
Species: Hummingbird
Occupation: Garden Curator
Temperament: Elegant. Independent. Selective.
Natural Habitat: Gardens where somebody has clearly thought about the landscaping.
Known For: Arriving precisely when the flowers are at their best.
Special Ability: Can inspect four flowers in approximately 1.3 seconds while somehow maintaining perfect composure.
Favorite Activity: Choosing.
Known Associates: Penelope.
They are cordial.
There have been disagreements regarding garden management.
Mildly Concerning Behavior: Has rejected several perfectly respectable flowers without explanation.
Threat Level: Minimal.
Standards: Extremely high.
ERIC’S NOTES FROM THE FIELD
What I love here is that Quam didn’t just make a hummingbird.
He gave her somewhere to go.
There’s movement everywhere.
The wings are up.
The flowers are scattered through the silver field.
Even the geometric border seems to move around her.
And that BLUE.
Against all of the warm orange flowers, it absolutely jumps off the silver.
This is one of those pieces where you see the subject immediately and then spend the next five minutes discovering how it was built.
Stone by stone.
Petal by petal.
Feather by feather.
Her name is Daphne.
And apparently the garden has passed inspection.
Quintin Quam Sr. | Zuni Pueblo | Monumental Pictorial Mosaic Inlay
Her name is Daphne.
And Daphne has excellent taste.
She has selected a garden.
There are flowers.
There is apparently no one else here.
And she seems extremely pleased with the arrangement.
This extraordinary pendant by Zuni artist Quintin Quam Sr. centers a deep-blue hummingbird floating through a field of flowers, framed by Quam’s unmistakable geometric mosaic architecture.
But what immediately got me is the color.
That incredible saturated blue body.
The dark head.
The warm brown wings.
Tiny flashes of green.
Then these orange-red flowers scattered around her like somebody froze an entire garden in the middle of one perfect afternoon.
And all of it has been built from individually shaped pieces of stone and shell.
This isn’t simply inlay.
It’s illustration in stone.
WHY THIS PIECE MATTERS
Daphne is one of those pieces that becomes more impressive the closer you get.
From a distance, the hummingbird reads immediately.
Then you start discovering how she’s actually constructed.
The head is separate from the body.
The eye is separately articulated.
The wing contains individually worked feather detail.
The second wing rises behind her.
Her tail extends beneath the body.
And then Quam builds an entire environment around her.
Four individual flowers appear through the composition, each assembled petal by petal around tiny yellow centers.
Around that naturalistic scene, Quam creates an architectural border of turquoise, deep blue, warm red, black and shell.
Nature inside geometry.
Movement inside structure.
That’s what makes this piece so visually satisfying.
ARTIFACT REGISTRY
Artifact: Daphne — The Midnight Garden Hummingbird Pendant
Maker: Quintin Quam Sr.
People: Zuni Pueblo
Origin: Zuni, New Mexico
Materials: Sterling silver with multistone and shell mosaic inlay
Subject: Hummingbird among flowers
Technique: Pictorial mosaic inlay
Form: Monumental statement pendant
Length: Approx. 3 inches
Weight: 28 grams
Construction: Articulated sterling bail
Hallmark: Quintin Quam Sr.
Collector’s Gallery Value: $2,700
CURATOR’S FIELD OBSERVATION
Daphne is particularly successful because Quam creates a strong focal hierarchy.
Your eye goes immediately to the saturated blue hummingbird.
Then outward to the flowers.
Then finally to the elaborate geometric architecture surrounding the scene.
Nothing competes unnecessarily.
And unlike the monumental rings, the pendant format allows this entire pictorial composition to hang vertically like an actual miniature artwork.
At approximately three inches, it has serious presence.
But at 28 grams, it’s substantially easier to wear than the scale initially suggests.
ARTIFACT CHARACTER RECORD
Name: Daphne
Species: Hummingbird
Occupation: Garden Curator
Temperament: Elegant. Independent. Selective.
Natural Habitat: Gardens where somebody has clearly thought about the landscaping.
Known For: Arriving precisely when the flowers are at their best.
Special Ability: Can inspect four flowers in approximately 1.3 seconds while somehow maintaining perfect composure.
Favorite Activity: Choosing.
Known Associates: Penelope.
They are cordial.
There have been disagreements regarding garden management.
Mildly Concerning Behavior: Has rejected several perfectly respectable flowers without explanation.
Threat Level: Minimal.
Standards: Extremely high.
ERIC’S NOTES FROM THE FIELD
What I love here is that Quam didn’t just make a hummingbird.
He gave her somewhere to go.
There’s movement everywhere.
The wings are up.
The flowers are scattered through the silver field.
Even the geometric border seems to move around her.
And that BLUE.
Against all of the warm orange flowers, it absolutely jumps off the silver.
This is one of those pieces where you see the subject immediately and then spend the next five minutes discovering how it was built.
Stone by stone.
Petal by petal.
Feather by feather.
Her name is Daphne.
And apparently the garden has passed inspection.
