Est-Zan-Lopa—Navajo Ganado Arizona

Art Historical Context

This bronze medal, titled *Est-Zan-Lopa—Navajo Ganado Arizona*, was created by sculptor Edward Warren Sawyer in 1904. Measuring just 7 centimeters across, small circular work belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago’s Arts of the Americas collection and is classified as a medal. Its compact format was well suited to the early 20th-century practice of producing portable, durable portraits that could circulate beyond the studio. The title identifies the subject as a Navajo person from Ganado, Arizona, reflecting a moment when artists turned their attention to individuals from the American Southwest. Sawyer rendered the likeness in bronze, a medium that allows fine relief detail while ensuring the image would endure. Such medals often served both as artistic statements and quiet records of cultural encounters during a period of rapid change for Native communities. Viewers today can appreciate the intimacy of the scale, which encourages close looking and highlights Sawyer’s ability to convey presence within a modest diameter. The work stands as a modest yet meaningful example of how American sculptors used the medal form to engage with the diverse peoples of the United States.