Lonnie Vigil 1985 Beginning Career Pottery Polished Red Bowl

For collectors of the rare and unusual, this bowl is one to consider. This piece is an early work by Lonnie Vigil (Nambé Pueblo), handcrafted in September 1985 (inscribed 9/85 on the base). It is a  smoothly incurved, highly burnished redware bowl featuring a stone-polished surface finish. The exterior shoulder is painted with a repeating, geometric eagle feather motif bordered by double framing lines. The lighter, matte-tan slip provides strong visual contrast against the deep red burnished body. Incised directly into the clay base is Lonnie Vigil / NAMBE PUEBLO / 9/85.

When shown this bowl, Lonnie commented that it was a very early piece made in 1985 before he began developing pottery in micaceous clay.

Lonnie Vigil is widely celebrated for reviving and elevating Nambé micaceous and traditional Pueblo pottery forms, winning the Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Show in 1998. Early dated signed pieces like this from 1985 showcase his refined burnishing technique and precision in traditional painted iconography prior to his extensive work with large-scale unpainted micaceous vessels.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Lonnie Vigil 1985 Beginning Career Pottery Polished Red Bowl is from the estate of a Santa Fe resident

Recommended Reading: All That Glitters: The Emergence of Native American Micaceous Art Pottery in Northern New Mexico by Duane Anderson

TAGS: Lonnie Vigil, Southwest Indian Pottery, Nambe Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery