Petite Storyteller Figurine by Louis Naranjo [SOLD]

This more petite storyteller figurine was created by Cochiti Pueblo artist Louis Naranjo. This charming example of Naranjo's work is similar to traditional storytellers which includes a few personalized touches. Known for his highly detailed and inventive depictions of various figures, Naranjo crafted this seated female storyteller with her eyes closed and mouth open. She is beautifully dressed in a decorated traditional pueblo dress. Both she and her two children wear tabletas on their heads, and wear high-top moccasins.

The figurine sits in the typical storyteller position, with appealing detailed and patterned clothing. The black pigment used in the decoration is made from wild spinach native to the artist's region. Louis Naranjo's craftsmanship in this storyteller is excellent. The bottom of the figurine is signed "Louis Naranjo, Cochiti N.M."

Louis Naranjo (1932-1997) was born at Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico. He learned pottery making from his mother, Frances Suina, and his wife, Virginia Naranjo. Louis began making pottery later in life, after Virginia suffered a stroke. Together, Louis and Virginia became standard bearers for the proud figurative pottery tradition of Cochiti Pueblo.

They crafted their figurines at their kitchen table in their comfortable adobe home at the pueblo. Working almost every day with great care, they would joke and exchange gossip, accompanied by the background noise of television, children, and grandchildren. Their art provided a good life and created a legacy that will endure for another century or more.

Louis and Virginia had a wonderful sense of humor, which they infused into their work. They fashioned clay figurines of bikini-clad men and women with cameras dangling from their necks, mermaids, men with baseball caps, Santa Claus, and many other whimsical characters. They also crafted more traditional figures like angels, storytellers, padres, and Pueblo Dancers.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Petite Storyteller Figurine by Louis Naranjo is from the collection of a New Mexico resident

Recommended Reading: The Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition by Barbara Babcock

TAGS: Cochiti Pueblo, pottery, Frances Suina, Virginia Naranjo, figurative pottery, Louis and Virginia Naranjo, Louis Naranjo