Haungooah Carved Seed Pot with Modernized Mimbres Rabbit [SOLD]

This black and sienna sgraffito technique carved seed pot was made by Art Cody Haungooah of Santa Clara Pueblo. It is a fine example of the sgraffito carving style that was popularized during the 1970s by a group of Santa Clara potters. These artists often honored their ancestors by recreating figures that appeared on prehistoric pottery.

Art Cody Haungooah (1943-1985) presents a stylish, modernized version of a Mimbres rabbit figure with this piece. The figure is carved beautifully into one side of the small pot. The area in which the carving appears was treated with an additional heat source—a blowtorch, most likely—to create a sienna tone. The remainder of the pot's exterior was not treated with additional heat, leaving the original black tone in place.

The button of the pot is signed AH.

Santa Clara Pueblo artist Art Cody Haungooah is well known for his modern pottery creations. Haungooah was the grandson of the famous Kiowa medicine man and scout James Haungooah, also known as Silverhorn (1861-1941). The first Haungooah became famous in the 19th century for his fantastic ledger drawings of life on the Southern Plains. The Haungooah name means "sunlight reflecting off a buffalo horn" in the Kiowa language. The second Haungooah, Art Cody Haungooah, married Martha Suazo from Santa Clara Pueblo in 1972. She was a potter and encouraged him to decorate her works for her. He became an outstanding decorator of miniature pottery and was one of the early artists to perfect the sgraffito style of carving, along with Joseph Lonewolf and Tony Da. In 1979, Pierre Cardin recognized him and his wife, Martha, for their artistic excellence. The famous French designer organized a European tour, which showcased their work. When Martha died (date unknown), Art Cody continued making pottery alone. He then met with tragedy in a head-on automobile collision in 1985. Their awards are documented for Indian Markets in 1978, 1979, and 1980.

What is Sgraffito Carving? A method of pottery design known as sgraffito carving is relatively new in pueblo pottery traditions. Rather than deep carving, as is more traditional at Santa Clara Pueblo, sgraffito is achieved by scraping the vessel with a sharp instrument to achieve a shallow depth. The pottery is formed in the traditional coil method, slipped with a watery clay and stone polished before the sgraffito carving commences.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Haungooah Carved Seed Pot with Modernized Mimbres Rabbit is from a private Santa Fe collection

Reference: Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies, Gregory Schaaf

TAGS: Dean Haungooah, Santa Clara Pueblo, Joseph Lonewolf, Tony Da, Contemporary Southwest Indian Pottery, Art Cody Haungooah