Acoma Pueblo Polychrome Pottery Turkey by Sarah Garcia [SOLD]

This charming "Fat Turkey" figurine is a quintessential example of the whimsical yet traditional pottery of Sarah Garcia (1928-2005). While many New Mexico potters draw inspiration from the state's abundant wild turkey population, Sarah Garcia's figurines are particularly prized for their personality and historical pedigree.

A Study in Pattern and Form

This "fat" turkey features a perfectly rounded body, serving as a canvas for classic Acoma motifs. It is decorated with vibrant orange circular spots over a field of triangular fine-line "feathers." A dramatic, upright "fantail" was rendered in high-contrast black-on-white pigments. A small, detailed head features a prominent wattle. As noted by Audubon, these wattles are fascinating adaptive features, changing color from scarlet during courtship to blue in moments of fear, and serving as a cooling mechanism in the high-desert sun.

Tradition in Every Detail

Sarah Garcia remained faithful to the rigorous Acoma traditional method: Clay tempered with ground-up pottery shards (to ensure strength during firing), the vessel meticulously hand-coiled and shaped, painted with natural mineral and vegetal pigments, then brought to life in a traditional outdoor fire.

Museum Provenance

Sarah Garcia, though born of a Laguna mother, became one of Acoma's most prolific and recognizable artists. Her work carries significant institutional weight; a nearly identical "fantail turkey" was acquired in 1962 by the Indian Arts Fund and is currently held in the permanent collection of the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe.

Condition: good

Provenance: this Acoma Pueblo Polychrome Pottery Turkey by Sarah Garcia is from a private Santa Fe collection

Recommended Reading: THE POTTERY OF ACOMA PUEBLO by Francis H. Harlow, et al.

TAGS: Laguna Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, Jessie Garcia, Lucy M. Lewis, Marie Z. Chino, Goldie Hayah, Southwest Indian Pottery, Anasazi and Tularosa, Sarah Garcia