Diné (Navajo) Pictorial Jar [SOLD]

Rita Manygoats is a daughter of famous Diné potter, Betty Manygoats.  She has been stated to be the best potter of Betty’s daughters.  She hand builds her pottery in the traditional manner and fires them in a low-temperature outdoor fire using sheep dung.  Some of her pottery has appliquéd designs and others have lifestyle elements.

The low shoulder of the jar and its tall and graceful neck provided for an area in which to paint figurative elements.  This one shows a fenced corral, wagon, hogan, Navajo riding his horse and a cow in front of him. There also are a couple green yucca plants.  A beautiful fire cloud appears on one side of the jar.  The initials RM are etched into the base.

Revival of Navajo pottery had its beginnings in the 1950s with encouragement from traders who were looking for a curio item to sell to tourists.  It has continued uninterrupted since then.  Most potters did not and do not put painted designs on their wares as some believe that painting designs on pottery can cause natural disasters, such as earthquakes.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of Jan and Chuck Rosenak, authors of The People Speak Navajo Folk Art

Recommended Reading: The People Speak: Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak