Black and Sienna Jar with Sgraffito Designs [SOLD]

This sgraffito-style carved blackware pottery jar was made by Grace Medicine Flower and Camilio Tafoya of Santa Clara Pueblo. It is a short, wide vessel with a flat base that is identical in size to the open rim up above. This is a beautiful, well-crafted jar, which is exactly what we'd expect of these talented artists.

The exterior was skillfully stone polished, resulting in a smooth, consistent sheen on the exterior. The artists utilized a secondary heat source to create three oval-shaped clouds of sienna. They emerge from the black, hanging down from the rim. Within each sienna cloud, a sgraffito design appears. Two of these designs are depictions of Yei figures; the third is a corn plant with a pair of bear paw designs.

The bottom of the pot is signed Grace & Camilio Tafoya.

Grace Medicine Flower and her father, Camilio Tafoya, collaborated on pottery for many years. Grace Medicine Flower (1938- ) says she started working with Camilio Tafoya (1902-1995) when she was just a child. She started making very traditional Santa Clara carved ware but eventually developed her contemporary style of sgraffito carving. Camilio, too, started with traditional carved ware but specialized in very large pieces. These potters were members of the renowned Tafoya family of Santa Clara Pueblo. Grace mastered the techniques of sgraffito carving and took it to a new level, with a delicate touch and a delicate balance. Her grandmother was Sara Fina Tafoya, and her brother was Joseph Lonewolf.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Black and Sienna Jar with Sgraffito Designs is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: ART OF CLAY Timeless Pottery of the Southwest by Lee M. Cohen

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Sara Fina Tafoya,  Agapita Yellow Flower Tafoya, Joseph Lonewolf, Margaret Tafoya, Grace Medicine Flower, Camilio Sunflower Tafoya