Southwest Indian Pottery Cochiti Pueblo, KO-TYIT Figurines

Large Storyteller Figurine with 9 Children by Helen Cordero

Category: Figurines
Origin: Cochiti Pueblo, KO-TYIT
Medium: clay, pigments
Size:
10-½” height x 8” width x 11” length
Item # C4641C
Price: $6500

Legacy in Clay: Helen Cordero’s Storyteller Figurine and the Vibrant Pueblo Tradition

This storyteller figurine was created by Cochiti Pueblo artist Helen Cordero. At over ten inches in height and eleven in depth, it is one of the more substantial pieces we’ve seen from the influential artist. This sizable man sits comfortably with his mouth open, passing down pueblo history to an excitable audience. The typical orange and black pigments over cream slip were used to create clothing, hair, and facial features. We’d date this piece to the mid-1980s.

The storyteller’s audience includes a total of nine children. Some sit or stand on the man’s legs; others climb his arms and back. Each shoulder has been claimed by a child, one of whom appears to be holding something close to the chest. Cordero gave each child uniquely designed clothing and completed their faces using a simple but effective combination of dots and dashes. This large and lively group creates a wonderful viewing experience.

The bottom of the piece is signed Helen Cordero Cochiti, N.M.

Helen Cordero (1915-1994) was a Cochiti Pueblo potter who is most often recognized as the inventor of the storyteller figurine. Cordero sold her storyteller figurines at the neighboring Santo Domingo Pueblo‘s feast day markets. As her work became more widely recognized, she often found herself with a long list of commissioned pieces to complete for her collectors. Additional creations would be sold to dealers in the nearby cities, including Adobe Gallery, which was in Albuquerque at the time. Cordero passed away in 1994.