Twentieth-century Painted Rain God Figurine [SOLD]

Duane Anderson identified the names of known potters of Tesuque Rain Gods in the book When Rain Gods Reigned.  His list includes 49 potters from Tesuque, some as early as the 1870s.  From this we can see that the tradition is not a new one, having lasted almost 150 years.  Few potters today make the figurines but there are several.  Their styles are different from 19^th-century dolls primarily in the slip and paint colors.  Colors are generally more vibrant in today’s dolls.  Some potters fire the figurine first and then paint them with acrylic paints.  Others paint the dolls first with natural pigments and then fire them.

This doll was constructed of native clay and painted with natural pigment over the cream slip.  It was not signed by the potter so we do not know who made it.  It could have been made by any one of the dozen of today’s artisans who are making rain gods.

Reference and Recommended Reading: When Rain Gods Reigned: From Curios to Art at Tesuque Pueblo by Duane Anderson.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery.

Condition:  structurally in excellent condition with some minor chips on the rim of the jar and slight abrasion to the cream slip on the back and nose.

Provenance: from the collection of Dana Lipsig, the one who supplied us with a collection of 105 rain gods for our exhibit in 2005.