Santa Clara Pueblo Very Large Wedding Vessel [R]

Margaret Tafoya, from Santa Clara Pueblo, is well known for making very large storage jars and apparently she made very large wedding vessels as well.  This 2-foot tall black wedding vessel has a carved design around the shoulder.  That is the only design on this magnificent piece.

It is quite likely that this dates from the 1950s or 1960s.  The owner said it was a ribbon-winner at the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial but he is unable to locate the ribbon and does not recall which year.  Margaret was receiving awards at Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial and at Santa Fe Indian Market during those years and she is known to have produced more large vessels than previously.

Condition: structurally in excellent condition but does have some scratches and slight abrasions here and there as one would expect on a polished black surface of pottery this age.

Provenance: from a gentleman collector

Recommended Reading:  Born of Fire: The Pottery of Margaret Tafoya by Charles King