Navajo Golden Brown Jar with Elaborate Fire Clouds [SOLD]

This magnificent golden-brown olla is a masterful achievement in form and finish. Created by Samuel Manymules, a premier voice in contemporary Diné (Navajo) pottery, this vessel represents the evolution of a thousand-year-old tradition into the realm of high art.

Samuel Manymules is not merely a potter; he is a visionary who has redefined the "Modern Navajo" aesthetic. In 2006, he was awarded Best of Classification at the Santa Fe Indian Market, a testament to his ability to take the traditional piñon pitch finish and elevate it to a level of museum-quality refinement.

This jar is characterized by its "massive" yet incredibly graceful body, sitting atop a sophisticated raised pedestal. The generous body tapers into a shortened neck with a perfectly executed flaring rim. The vessel boasts a "glorious array" of fire clouds — dark, smoky blooms created by the erratic dance of flames during an outdoor firing. These are not flaws; they are the "fingerprints of the fire," adding a dramatic, painterly quality to the golden-brown clay.

Manymules' work is a slow, meditative process that rejects the shortcuts of the modern world: He hand-crushes native clay into a fine powder, mixes it with ash, and allows it to cure. After the vessel is hand-coiled and molded, it is left to dry in the sun for three to four months, ensuring the clay is perfectly tempered before it meets the heat. Every inch is meticulously stone-polished to a high-gloss sheen.

Manymules uses cedarwood for its intense heat, which produces the signature high-temperature finish and the vibrant fire clouds. While the pot is still cooling from the fire, he applies melted piñon tree sap. This traditional sealant is what gives Navajo pottery its distinctive warmth and sweet, woody aroma.

While Navajo and Pueblo pottery may look similar to the casual observer, they are separated by deep spiritual and technical differences:  While many Pueblo potters use ground-up ancient shards as a tempering agent, Navajo belief strictly forbids this. To the Diné, ancient pottery is associated with those who have passed and must remain buried. Instead, Manymules uses a sophisticated blend of various clays to achieve strength and beauty.

Unlike the heavily painted designs of the Pueblos, Manymules allows the natural architecture of the jar and the random beauty of the fire to provide the decoration.

This jar is a wonderful example of why Manymules pottery is so highly sought.  It captures the ruggedness of the Navajo landscape and the refined eye of a modern master. It is a piece that feels "at home" in both a gallery of ancient artifacts and a room of contemporary sculpture.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Navajo Golden Brown Jar with Elaborate Fire Clouds is from the collection of a California client

Reference: The Marks Project: The Dictionary of American Ceramics

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Navajo Nation, Samuel Manymules