San Ildefonso Pair of Red Carved Pottery Bookends [SOLD]

Rose Gonzales was born at San Juan Pueblo (now Ohkay Owingeh) in 1900 and, soon after, became an orphan when her parents died from the flu epidemic. She survived by attending the Santa Fe Indian School. She married Robert Gonzales of San Ildefonso Pueblo and moved to his pueblo at that time. She learned the art of pottery making from Robert's mother, Ramona Sanchez Gonzales.

Rose experimented for years with blackware, redware, black-on-black ware and carved ware. She became very proficient at all of these.  Her proficiency is well illustrated in this pair of pottery bookends, executed in red carved form.  The top of the bookends has the head of a bird from which the sides step down to the width of the final form.  On what would be the body of the bird, Rose carved designs of triangles, steps, and rain clouds to a depth of about 1/8-inch into the clay.  The bookends are substantially heavy to definitely support a row of books between them.

Condition:  very good condition

Provenance: from a family collection in Colorado

Recommended Reading: Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham. This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery