Articles

Sharing my items is a great way to learn about the Native story. My goal is to meet and connect with you in a way that promotes our mutual interest in beautiful objects created by those who came well before us.

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A closer look...

Please Help Identify These Early Sandals

A New Find I purchased these sandals not too long ago and they were claimed to have been found in a cave in Southern New Mexico. I called the auction house for more information, but none was available. I decided to purchase these mostly to cure my curiosity, but that still feels a long way […]

New Gallery Item

Navajo Weaving Combs of the 19th Century

A Group of Early Navajo Weaving Combs Navajo weaving combs are wonderful examples of a functional tool that has lasting beauty and typically gets better with age.   This group of 13 combs came into my gallery not too long ago.  They are all from one collection by a person in Santa Fe.  Each comb has […]

Gallery News

Santa Fe Virtual Show January 14 – 18

Our second online show will soon open at 1 PM this coming Thursday, January 14. It will run until 5 PM Monday, January 18.  The website https://santafevirtual.com/ will have a link to the show, or you can go directly to the show page here: https://sfwintershow.getmansvirtual.com/ The show will represent over 50 dealers from the US […]

New Gallery Item

An Early Rio Grande Pueblo Kilt

This very early kilt showed up at a sale here in Santa Fe.  While it appears to be Hopi in pattern, construction, and materials, it’s possible that the attribution could be a broader scope of Rio Grande Pueblos.  My approximate dating on this piece is somewhere between 1750 to 1850.  It is rare to find […]

Uncategorized

The James Compton Gallery Expanded!

The restaurant adjacent asked me if I wanted more space.  We both have the same landlord, and the restaurant had dead space adjacent to my wall that they no longer wanted to pay rent for.  I was busting out of my seams with my small 265 sq. ft. and while I liked having lower rent […]

A closer look...

Of Banded Blankets and Finding God

A New Find A beautiful and early banded, Navajo blanket came into my gallery last week. My understanding on this type of blanket puts the date around the middle 19th century, perhaps earlier.  It measures 65” by 45.5” and has four colors, natural white, natural brown, dark indigo blue and light indigo blue.  There are […]

A closer look...

My life on Burro Alley, Past and Present

I really enjoy being here on Burro Alley, for many reasons.  The history and charm are the main reasons, but there are others as well.  I like being on the edge of what we call downtown, and not in the heart/heat of it.   My gallery and the things in it are not for everyone, however […]

Gallery News

Virtual Walk and Sale of Historic Native and Tribal Art

What started out to be a Walk and Sale in Santa Fe, NM for historic Native and Tribal art, has now become a Virtual Walk and Sale.  We had all the hopes that a gallery walk, from August 14 to the 18, would be able to take place after the surge of COVID-19 began to […]

Gallery News

Repatriating a Found Zuni War God Plank

I purchased this carved wooden plank about 1.5 years ago out of a West coast auction.  I had no idea what it was, but could tell right away that it had a lot of energy in it – the shape, the condition of the wood, the old age – it all intrigued me.  Measuring 38” […]