Francis Leekya — Zuni Silversmith

Name-card placeholder — hallmark imagery to follow.

Francis Leekya (1915–2003; Zuni) was a fetish carver and silversmith active across most of the twentieth century. He worked in channel inlay and fish-scale inlay. He was the son of Leekya Deyuse (see Leekya Deyuse) — the celebrated Zuni fetish carver — and the brother of Alice Leekya Homer and Robert Leekya.

Francis Leekya is documented as a practitioner of both carving and silversmithing, carrying forward the Leekya family's multi-generational mastery of Zuni lapidary and inlay arts. His father Leekya Deyuse is among the most celebrated figures in twentieth-century Zuni artistic history.

His brother Robert Leekya (1931–2019; Zuni), active since the 1960s, worked primarily in nugget-style jewelry in silver and gold, and shared the R LB stamp with his wife Bernice Leekya. His sister Sarah Leekya (1932–2017; Zuni), active since the 1940s, worked in channel inlay, mosaic inlay, and carved stone jewelry.

"Francis Leekya (1915-2003; Zuni). Fetish carver and silversmith. Channel inlay; fish scale. Son of Leekya Deyuse. Brother of Alice Homer, Robert and [Sarah] Leekya. Marks: A bird head; L F ('F' is nested)" — Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022), approx. p. ~19038.

The marks are a bird head device (reflecting the Leekya family's deep association with fetish carving and zoomorphic imagery) and L F with the "F" nested inside or adjacent to the L. The bird head mark is a distinctive figural stamp linking silversmithing and carving traditions.

Know more about Francis Leekya or the Leekya family Zuni tradition? Contact T.Skies.