Sarah Arquero Male Storyteller Comforting Four Children

This storyteller figurine was hand-crafted and signed on the underside by Sarah Arquero, a traditional Cochiti Pueblo potter. She belongs to the respected Arquero family of figural clay artisans from Cochiti Pueblo (which includes notable potters like Martha and Josephine Arquero, as well as matriarch Damacia Cordero).

This male storyteller features a traditional chonga (a tied bun worn at the back of the head, secured with a orange/red hand-painted headband), open mouth indicating singing/storytelling, and traditional Pueblo attire with embroidered sleeve accents and red moccasins with white soles.

Two young children are cradled in the storyteller's arms, held front-and-center.  One child is resting horizontally across his legs, and another child is clinging securely to his back, adorned with a starred/patterned shirt.

The figurine was built using traditional Cochiti natural white slip, black wild spinach (guaco) paint, and terracotta red/orange natural mineral slip. It was fired in the traditional outdoor firing resulting in a characteristic warm, matte cream finish with subtle smoke atmospheric variations.

The hand-inscribed signature reads SARAH Arquero on the bottom.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Sarah Arquero Male Storyteller Comforting Four Children is from the collection of a client from California

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

TAGS: Cochiti Pueblo, Southwest Indian Pottery, Sarah Arquero