Elegant Sara Fina Tafoya Historic Black Jar with Double-Rainbow Shoulder

This elegant blackware jar by Santa Clara Pueblo potter Sara Fina Tafoya is a masterful example of early 20th-century Pueblo pottery. Dating to around 1920-1925, the jar features Tafoya's signature double-rainbow shoulder and the refined proportions she preferred and perfected: a wide, rounded body that tapers into a small base, a strong flared neck, and a fluted rim that symbolizes rain. The surface, including the interior of the rim, is finely stone-polished to a deep, glossy black, showcasing her exceptional skill and aesthetic sensitivity.

Measuring as a true tinaja — a Spanish term referring to large clay vessels traditionally used for water storage — this jar was made not only for utility but as a vessel of visual beauty and cultural expression. The fluted rim is sometimes mistakenly called a "piecrust" rim, but unlike a piecrust rim, which involves the addition of extra clay, this example is pinched directly into the rim's form, creating a subtle and symbolic pattern.

This jar was exhibited in Blackwares of the Americas at the Museum of the American Indian in New York City from November 23, 1973 through March 31, 1974. It was listed as item #47 in the exhibition leaflet as a well-polished tinaja from Santa Clara Pueblo, part of the collection of Judge Nathan Bijur.

It remains in excellent condition, with only a minor rim chip that has not been filled. Included with the jar are the original exhibit leaflet, two vintage period postcards depicting Pueblo women carrying water jars, and a commemorative pin of Judge Bijur. Altogether, this offering presents an extraordinary opportunity to acquire a documented, museum-exhibited work by one of the most important matriarchs of Santa Clara pottery.

Condition: excellent condition with minor rim chip that has not been filled

Provenance: This Elegant Sara Fina Tafoya Historic Black Jar with Double-Rainbow Shoulder was from the collection of Judge Nathan Bijur, exhibited in "Blackwares of the Americas" from November 23, 1973 through March 31, 1974 at the Museum of the American Indian in New York City and now is available from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery.

Recommended Reading: Frank, Larry and Francis H. Harlow. Historic Pottery of the Pueblo Indians 1600-1880, New York Graphic Society, Boston, 1974.

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Historic Pottery, Southwest Indian Pottery, Sara Fina Tafoya, Margaret Tafoya, Joseph Lonewolf, Grace Medicine Flower