Diné (Navajo) Tall Cooking Jar [SOLD]

The techniques of pottery construction by the Navajo are quite similar to those used by the pueblo potters. Local clay is dug and treated with water, cleaned of debris and mixed with a tempering material. Some Navajo potters use Anasazi potsherds as temper and others use a basaltic substance. The pot is formed in the coil technique and pressed and scraped to the desired shape and wall thinness desired. An appliquéd neck decoration has been added to the otherwise traditional Navajo vessel shape. Sun drying of the vessels is followed by outdoor firing. The final step is coating the vessel with piñon pitch. This vessel is in excellent condition.

Provenance: From the estate of Transcendental artist Florence Pierce of Albuquerque who passed away in 2007 at the age of 89.

Recommended Reading: “Navajo Pottery,” Plateau, Vol. 58, No. 2. Quarterly publication of the Museum of Northern Arizona. May be ordered from the Museum of Northern Arizona Press, Route 4, Box 720, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001.