Santa Clara Five-stem Black Pottery Candelabra [SOLD]

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Potter Once Known

This five-stem black polished candelabra was not signed by the artist at the time it was made in the 1930s. Items such as this were made to be sold to residents of Northern New Mexico who desired to add a selection of Pueblo-made pottery to their homes for decorative purposes. Some items, such as this, were more than just decorative as they were usable.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from the Midwest

Recommended Reading: Collections of Southwestern Pottery: Candlesticks to Canteens, Frogs to Figurines by Allan Hayes.

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.

Potter Once Known
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