Cochiti Pueblo Male Storyteller with 11 Children by Helen Cordero [SOLD]

Everyone knows that Helen Cordero made the first storyteller figurine in 1964 as a tribute to her grandfather who was a storyteller at the pueblo. Alexander Girard, the great folk art collector, encouraged her to create more by purchasing all she made in the early days.

Since the figurine was in tribute to her grandfather, all of her storyteller figurines are male. She never made a female storyteller. Her female figurines are called other names, such as Singing Mother. Cordero used to say that the other potters who made female storyteller figurines didn’t understand her intent.

When architect and folk art collector Alexander Girard encouraged Cordero to make the figurines larger and add more children, he then became the impetus for large storytellers like this one with children approaching a dozen. We owe him a round of thanks for his visionary thoughts and we owe Cordero a round of thanks for following through on his advice.

The children on this figurine sit on both legs, hang on both arms, and clutch to the back of the adult in a manner that Cordero mastered. The adult has black hair tied up in a chonga and wears a red shirt with a black on cream front over which hangs a necklace. The children are dressed in a variety of styles.

Condition: This storyteller most probably dates to the early to mid 1980s and is in original excellent condition. It is signed Helen Cordero, Cochiti, N.M. on the underside.

Provenance: ex. coll. Phoenix, AZ pueblo pottery collector.