Rick Dillingham Rectangular Pottery Box with Slab Lid, 1973 [SOLD]

This early ceramic work by Rick Dillingham showcases the artist's emerging voice while he was a student at the University of New Mexico. Slab-formed in pinkish-grey clay, the rectangular box is adorned with five rows of soft, light yellow spotted markings on each side — subtle yet deliberate details that reflect Dillingham's early attention to surface and rhythm. The matching slab lid is cleverly engineered with a double-bar structure, designed to hold it securely in place — an inventive and thoughtful construction that hints at the refined technical instincts Dillingham would become known for.

Signed and dated May 1973, this piece predates his better-known shard vessels but already reveals his deep engagement with the form, structure, and conceptual potential of pottery. It offers a rare glimpse into the formative period of a ceramicist who would go on to make lasting contributions both as an artist and as a scholar of Pueblo pottery.

Rick Dillingham (1952-1994) was not only a celebrated ceramic artist but also a vital figure in the world of Native pottery, curating landmark exhibitions and authoring several definitive texts on the subject. His own practice was shaped by his restoration work at Santa Fe's Laboratory of Anthropology and by a reverence for the Pueblo traditions he studied so closely. Dillingham's legacy endures through his innovative ceramics and his passionate documentation of Indigenous pottery history.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: This Rick Dillingham Rectangular Pottery Box with Slab Lid, 1973, is from a Santa Fe collector.

Recommended Reading: Dillingham ‘90 RICK DILLINGHAM August 10-September 5, 1990. Exhibit and Catalog by Linda Durham Gallery, Santa Fe

TAGS: Santa Fe, Pueblo Pottery, Rick Dillingham