Carol M. Pecos Seated Male Storyteller with Two Boys

This storyteller figurine depicting an elder seated with two young children is created in the traditional Southwest Pueblo figurative style. The primary figure features a seated storyteller with traditional features — an open mouth symbolizing the oral tradition of passing down stories and songs to younger generations, closed eyes reflecting deep concentration or recollection, and a traditional Pueblo hairstyle, or bun.

Two children are positioned on the central figure — one resting on the lap holding a ball  and a second sitting upright near the side. The figurine was built using traditional Pueblo clay body slipping and hand-painted mineral/plant pigments, featuring a warm terracotta base color, cream-colored slip, and detailed black outlines indicating traditional garments and hair.

About the Artist 

Carol M. Pecos was born in 1934 into a distinguished artistic family, Carol Pecos learned traditional pottery methods from her mother, Louisa F. Toledo, passing the craft down through generations. While Carol Pecos was born at Jemez Pueblo, her family ties and marriage connected her broadly within the Pueblo community. Her storytellers are known for their warm expressions, lighter hollow-coiled construction, and hand-sculpted child figures designed to convey themes of family, togetherness, and oral tradition.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Carol M. Pecos Seated Male Storyteller with Two Boys is from the collection of a client from California

Recommended Reading: The Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition by Barbara Babcock Ph.D.

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Cochiti Pueblo