Cochiti Male Storyteller with Three Children by Francis Suina [SOLD]

Francis Naranjo Suina (1902-1992) was born at San Ildefonso Pueblo as Frances Roybal. She was orphaned before age one. She attended St. Catherine's Orphanage, Santa Fe, then St. Catherine's Indian School, Santa Fe, and then Cochiti Pueblo School.

Her first husband was a Naranjo, thus the surname of her son, Louis Naranjo of Cochiti Pueblo. Her second husband was a Suina.

She made pottery during the Great Depression of the 1930s, using all traditional materials and techniques, a process she continued throughout her life. She was recognized as one of the finest potters at Cochiti.

Her pottery figurines are truly wonderful pieces of folk art. She had a knack for creating figurines with humorous expressions that evoke a smile from the viewer. Her pieces are relatively rare today because she has been gone for so many years.

This male storyteller has a face of wisdom and the children reflect their respect for him and his stories.  The adult wears a button shirt over which is a black vest. His hair is tied in a traditional chonga in the back, he has a head band and traditional moccasins. The children are dressed as two boys and one girl.

Condition: this Cochiti Male Storyteller with Three Children by Francis Suina is in excellent condition

Provenance: received from a New Mexico client of Adobe Gallery, and sold to a client in California 2015 from whom we now have it back to offer again.

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

TAGS: Cochiti Pueblo, Storyteller figurines, Louis Naranjo, Virginia A. Naranjo; Pauline Naranjo, San Ildefonso Pueblo, pottery, Francis Suina