Black Carved Long Neck Jar [R]

This piece is a truly excellent example of Santa Clara carved blackware by Margaret Tafoya. It is superb in balance and execution of form, with a magnificent swell from underbody to shoulder, and a graceful transition from body to neck.

It is excellent in all manner of workmanship, from construction and polish to carving and is a truly superb jar by one of the great women of Pueblo pottery, be it this century of any previous.

The vessel is in excellent condition with only a scratch or two as would be expected in a jar of this age. It probably dates to circa 1960s. There is some red visible through the black, indicating that the firing was not completely reduction in character. It is signed on the base Margaret.

COMMENTS: Some experts have contended that smothering pottery during the firing process creates a carbon smoke that penetrates the pottery, turning it black. Even though several books describing black pueblo pottery attribute the color change to carbon, the reduction of iron oxide is the correct mechanism. Ceramicists, describing ancient styles of Old World pottery, state that iron impurities in clay form red oxide at red heat, but if air is lacking during firing, iron impurities in clay form black magnetite.

Item Provenance: 

This item was presented in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center's special exhibit TIMELESS BEAUTY in Albuquerque, New Mexico, January-August 2008. This exhibition celebrated the achievements and impact made by some of the most renowned Pueblo women artists on the preservation, exposure, and development of the indigenous and contemporary art forms of Pueblo people. Curated by the IPCC in collaboration with Santa Fe-based Adobe Gallery and the School for Advanced Research, TIMELESS BEAUTY showcased a collaborative collection of artwork created by these influential women.