Albert Vigil (1927 - ?) and Josephine Cordova Vigil (1927 - ?) worked together producing pottery their entire married life. Josephine made the pottery and Albert painted them. Albert Vigil was the son of famous San Ildefonso painter Romando Vigil (Tse Ye Mu) and a nephew of Maria Martinez. It was Maria who influenced him to specialize in redware.

Josephine Cordova Vigil was originally from Taos Pueblo but moved to San Ildefonso when marrying Albert. Josephine credits Albert's aunts, Maria Martinez and Clara Montoya, with helping them get started in pottery making. She learned by watching Maria make pottery and having Clara show her how to stone polish the pottery.

This beautifully shaped bowl with an incurving rim is decorated with the traditional eagle feather design made popular at San Ildefonso by Julian Martinez. The matte beige color was applied to the red stone-polished slip in a think and luscious coat. The bowl is large and beautiful.

Condition: structurally in original condition with only one very minor abrasion spot.
Recommended Reading: Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Subject: San Ildefonso Pueblo Buff-on-red Bowl
Artists / Potters: Albert and Josephine Vigil
Category: Contemporary
Origin: San Ildefonso Pueblo
Medium: clay
Size: 4-7/8" tall x 8-1/2" diameter
Item # C3367B

Belen Tapia was Sara Fina Tafoya's niece and Margaret Tafoya's first cousin. She had a long and productive life as a potter and achieved fame for her work. Mostly, she is recognized for her use of several color pigments in designs on her pottery, but she also produced traditional carved pottery of the style familiar to collectors.

This deeply carved design is illustrative of her ability to achieve clean-cut designs in straight line or curved forms. The burnishing of the red slip is flawless. Tapia was an accomplished potter and that is evident in this jar.

Condition: The buff color matte clay of the design element has some grey spotting that is not dust and does not rub off, so I do not know what it might be.
Recommended Reading: Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Subject: Santa Clara Pueblo Buff-on-red Jar
Artist / Potter: Belen Tapia (1914-1999)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Santa Clara Pueblo
Medium: clay
Size: 5-1/4" x 7-3/4" diameter
Item # C3367A

This is a very traditional white corrugated owl figurine that was built up from coils of clay left in roll form, not smoothed out. The rows were then impressed with a stick or other tool to achieve the design. This is similar to prehistoric utilitarian wares in which the rows of coils of clay were left visible.

Stella Shutiva spent most of her career making pottery in the fashion of pre-historic corrugated utilitarian wares, a style revived by her mother, Jessie Garcia. She said she admired her mother's corrugated pottery so much that she vowed she would learn how to make it herself. It took her four years to master the technique, but master it she did.

Jessie Garcia, Shutiva's mother, is given credit for reviving the ancient art of corrugated pottery, but instead of the earth-colored clay generally used for the prehistoric corrugated wares; she chose to use the white, un-slipped Acoma clay, thus marrying the style of the old ways with a look of the new.

Shutiva brought her mother's creation to fruition and spent her career almost exclusively devoted to making white corrugated wares. Adding painted designs to small portions of her pottery was an addition late in her career as was the addition of animal and reptile forms in bas-relief.

This owl figurine was probably made in the 1980s. The corrugated rows of clay are continuous from the bottom of the vessel to the top. There is no flattened bottom to the vessel. The artisan's name is painted on the underside.

Condition: appears to be in original condition but perhaps with a little more dust.
Recommended Reading: Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Subject: Acoma Pueblo White Corrugated Pottery Owl
Artist / Potter: Stella Shutiva (1939-1997)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Acoma Pueblo
Medium: clay
Size: 8-3/4" tall x 9-5/8" diameter
Item # C3367D

Rose Chino and her sisters, Carrie Chino Charlie, Vera Chino Ely and Grace Chino, are daughters of Marie Z. Chino and all of them are exceptional potters, as was their mother. Garcia's pottery is in the collections of the Peabody Museum at Harvard University, Heard Museum in Phoenix, Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, and numerous private collections. She has won awards at Santa Fe Indian Market since 1975-one award was for "most creative design."

Rose Chino Garcia learned pottery making from her famous mother and has used some of her mother's designs, however, she has also been very creative in developing designs of her own, designs that have proven most successful as recognized by the Santa Fe Indian Market award mentioned above.

One must look at the design on this seed jar very carefully to notice the geometrics involved. First, straight lines of longitude traverse from the opening at the top of the jar to the base. Second, another series of lines swirl and cross over the longitudinal lines, then the triangles formed by the intersection of the lines are painted black. After viewing the design in that manner, take another look at a group of black diamonds surrounding a white block and one can see a star pattern. This is a good reason to encourage students of pottery to study geometry.

The jar appears to date from the last quarter of the 20th century-probably the 1980s. It is signed Rose Chino Garcia Acoma, New Mexico and has an animal paw hallmark.

Condition: structurally in excellent condition. It has about three small spall marks
Recommended Reading: Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Subject: Acoma Pueblo Black-on-white Seed Jar by Rose Chino
Artist / Potter: Rose Chino Garcia (1928-present)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Acoma Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 3-7/8" tall x 8-1/4" diameter
Item # C3367E

This is an exceptional Hopi Tasap Katsina doll carved from a piece of cottonwood root. Tasap is a Hopi representation of a Navajo God. There are Hopi versions of katsinam that honor and depict other tribes, such as the Navajo, Havasupai, Comanche, Zuni and other Pueblos.

This is the Hopi version of what the Navajo katsinam might look like. These katsinam are not borrowed from the Navajo, as they are unique to the Hopi. They have the same purpose and functions as all the Hopi Katsinam. They are messengers and/or intermediaries to the rain gods. Since they are katsinam in every respect, they are afforded the same reverence and dignity during their visits.

This Tasap male katsinam wears a ceremonial kilt and rain sash, and has a blue face and red hair. The male, along with a companion female, appears during Angak'wa and the summer katsina day dances. Since they depict the Navajo, their songs may have some Navajo words speaking of the good things of life and/or words representing moisture.

Condition: The carving is in excellent condition.

Subject: Large Hopi Tasap Katsina Doll
Carver Unknown
Category: Traditional
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: Cottonwood root, Feather, Paint
Size: 13" tall
Item # C3145.01

One can almost feel the peacefulness at sunset as the sky turns from a fiery red to yellow. Rarely do we see Zuni bowls with a red underbody. Since the late-1800s, most potters have used black. According to Batkin, "Zuni Polychrome vessels retained the red rim and underbody slip of Ashiwi Polychrome until the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, when it was replaced by dark brown paint..." ¹

The paste materials are typically Zuni; white and chunky in texture with the centuries old temper material of ground pottery shards. The use of old shards for temper evidences the regard of the pueblo peoples for the old works made by their predecessors. To add these remnants to the new work is a sign of respect.

The rim of the bowl curves inward slightly, imparting a graceful shape to what could otherwise be an uninteresting one. The interior of the rim flexes slightly, an unnecessary added feature that enhances its shape. The bowl is slipped in traditional fashion with cream-colored clay, over which is painted the designs in mineral and vegetal paints. The exterior is decorated with the traditional prayer stick design used on every Zuni bowl made in the nineteenth century. It is thought that this was a woman's way to place her prayers since women do not make prayer sticks.

The interior decoration begins with a brown rim, below which is a series of rectangles divided into triangles encircling the bowl that are rendered solely in brown. Below this are two wide parallel framing lines with a very distinctive ceremonial break. Two Zuni volute design elements in brown paint fill the interior of the bowl. These are attached to two corn-like elements, executed in red without outlining. The bottom has a double circle, one of which is cloud-like, outlining an otherwise undecorated center. On the exterior of the bowl is written the numbers 39975 in beautiful hand Script. This is most certainly an acquisition number placed there by one of the earlier expeditions to Zuni.

1. Reference: Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico: 1700-1940.  Jonathan Batkin. The Taylor Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. 1987.

UPDATE INFORMATION: Dwight Lanmon so kindly provided the following information. The numbers 39975 are BAE accession numbers indicating that Stevenson collected the bowl in 1879 on the Powell Expedition. He confirmed with the Smithsonian that the numbers 475 are Stevenson's field numbers.

Subject: Historic Nineteenth Century Polychrome Bowl, circa 1870s
Potter Unknown
Category: Historic
Origin: Zuni Pueblo
Medium: native clay and pigments
Size: 7-3/4" diameter x 3-1/2" deep
Item # C3361B

Pauline Setalla married into the Frog Woman/Feather Woman family clan. It was reported by her son several years ago that she was in ill health and retired from making pottery. We have not had an update on her health since that time. She had 10 children, some of whom are potters carrying on her legacy. She was raised on the Second Mesa village of Mishongnovi on the Hopi Reservation. She learned pottery production techniques from her mother-in-law, Agnes Setalla Nahsonhoya, and her sister-in-law, Eunice Navasie.

All of Setalla's pottery was formed in the traditional coil technique from native clay and slipped with vegetal paints and painted in the traditional manner. Firing was with sheep dung, a popular way at Hopi. This pair of Hopi cylinders was made in that manner.

We are presenting this pair of cylinders together; however, they may be purchased separately. Both feature the face of a Long Hair Katsina in opposing panels of decoration and one of the cylinders features a bowl of corn and a turtle image and the other cylinder features a large frog image on opposing panels. They make a wonderful pair should someone want both. They are the same size and style and are complimentary to each other. Another item, also by Pauline Setalla, is a large storage jar with similar decoration as these two cylinders. It is our item number C3309K.

Condition: structurally in original condition with some minor over-paint on brown color.
Provenance: from the collection of Katherine H. Rust whose collection was mostly amassed in the 1960s and 1970s so it is assumed that is the approximate period that these were made.
Recommended Reading: Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory and Angie Schaaf

Subject: Pair of Hopi Polychrome Cylindrical Jars
Artist / Potter: Pauline Setalla (1930-?)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment - Price is for EACH
Size: 11-3/4" tall x 7-1/4" diameter - Price is for EACH
Item # C3309H-J

Probably no other Navajo artist has chronicled activities of Navajo children as well or as often as Beatien Yazz. In a large percentage of his paintings he featured Navajo youth playing, working, or just relaxing. He presented life on the Navajo Reservation as ideal for its youth.

In this painting, Yazz shows a young Navajo boy, shirtless, lying on the ground teasing a frog by holding on to its leg. There is a charm to the painting. The young boy is resting his head on his hand, kicked off his moccasin and is only interested in the frog.

Provenance: This painting is from an Albuquerque collector, and is not from the collection of the Balcomb family. It is framed and in original excellent condition.

Subject: Navajo (Diné) Painting of a Young Navajo Boy with Frog
Artist: Beatien Yazz (1928-Present) Little No Shirt - Jimmy Toddy
Category: Paintings
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: Casein
Size: 12-1/2" x 18" image; 17-3/4" x 23-1/8" framed
Item # C2981

This bronze of a Tasap-Navajo Yei-bi-chai Katsina is entitled "Spiritual Peace" and is the representation of a Hopi Katsina in honor of the Navajo people. It is a silent figure and steps forward to lead others in ritual dance steps.

This katsina stands for the complex and often embittered relationship existing between the Navajo and Hopi tribes who share traditional lands in northern Arizona. His Navajo mannerisms and appearance are sometimes comical to the Hopi people. Still, with a longing recognizable as universal, he expresses the desire for peace, order and spiritual unity that comes from settling disputes between discordant neighbors.

The Tasap Yei-bi-chai Katsina is the Grandfather of the Navajo Katsina and appears during the Navajo Katsina Dance. He does not speak but pantomimes whatever he wants. He starts the dance, acting as a leader in both singing and dancing. His dance step is an exaggeration, and a very lively one, that may be interspersed with a comic action such as a request for food-mountains of food. All of these requests are done in pantomimes that bring laughter to the audience.

This bronze was sponsored by American Indian Life and Legends of Arizona who produced a number of bronzes of Katsinas by Lowell Talashoma, Sr. and Neil David, Sr. The company is now out of business and all the bronzes are available only through resale.

This bronze and others by Talashoma are the manifestations of an artistic eye and vision that spans two cultures, for Talashoma is unusual in having spent many of his childhood years in the care of foster parents who raised him in a mainstream American home. Becoming Hopi meant for him accepting a new reality and set of beliefs as well as coming to understand the traditions, ceremonies, languages and social customs implicit in his choice. Giving form to this historically-rich culture is a task Talashoma set for himself with pleasure and excitement; what is ancient and inherently true to the Hopi people is newly rediscovered and revered through his dawning awareness of what it is to be Hopi.

Each form and figure tells a story as does the process Talashoma employed in its creation. His images were inspired by Hopi beliefs and are "liberated" from cottonwood root-the Hopi traditional carving material-through Talashoma's vision of what lies within. Although he could have worked faster in preparation for bronzing by using wax or clay, he preferred to interact with the wood, a material he respected for its life and character. The castings made from his carvings via the lost wax method retain that spirit. Even the grain of the original wood can be discerned in the finished bronze.

This bronze was cast in an edition of 35 of which this is number 1. It was completed in 1982. This Katsina doll was awarded 1st Place, Best of Class and Best of Show at the 1982 New Mexico State Fair. It received 1st Place and two special awards from the Heard Museum Guild and also 1st Place and Best of Class from Sandra Day O'Connor O'odahm Tash. The wood pedestal that supports the bronze is on a rotating base so that the bronze may be rotated and viewed from various positions.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the estate of a California family
Recommended Reading: Kachinas: a Hopi Artist's Documentary by Barton Wright

Subject: Bronze Sculpture of Tasap-Navajo Yei-bi-chai Katsina
Artist: Lowell Talashoma, Sr. (1950-2003)
Category: Bronze
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: bronze casting, wood pedestal
Size: 13-3/4" bronze height; 15-3/4" on pedestal
Item # C3365B

Lowell Talashoma, Sr.'s life story already seems to possess some of those rare qualities that distinguish those of legendary proportions from the ordinary. At less than two years of age he was moved from his family home on the Hopi mesas in Northern Arizona. Due to hard times, Lowell's parents gave their permission for this son to go to Utah and live with an elderly Mormon couple. Reared by this couple as an "only" son, Lowell discovered mainstream America and a Christian household.

A natural artist, Lowell produced drawings and sculptures with perspective, proportion and grace at an age when other children marked out crude symbols. While still in grade school he whittled a freely-turning sphere within a cage from a single block of wood. He would, while still a child, illustrate a story as it was being read aloud.
Stimulated by visits back to his Hopi family, Lowell began to long for the culture he was missing. With ideas and visions he took back to his adoptive home, Lowell through his own artistic ability began to discover the need for his native heritage. One day while visiting on the mesa, the time came for Lowell to return to Utah. He surprised everyone including himself by refusing to leave his Hopi homeland. He stayed to become himself, a Hopi.

There are few cultures in the world today that have such a strong sense of purpose and place as the Hopi culture. Lowell learned when he reclaimed his heritage that to be a Hopi meant becoming aware of the spirit of all things. He began acknowledging the reality of village customs and ceremony that were very different from Little League and the Christmas holidays he knew as a child in Utah. Lowell found that the very foundation of Hopi life rests on the principles of Kachinas and direction from the Creator.

Lowell has garnered numerous prestigious awards in various fine art competitions and exhibits. Top honors were accumulated from the likes of the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial and the Santa Fe Indian Market. A memorable exhibit at the Heard Museum Guild-Native American Arts Exhibit earned Lowell the Sandra Day O'Connor Special Award for Kachinas.

Highly regarded for the movement and excitement captured in his cottonwood root sculptures, Lowell's devotion and dedication to his Hopi heritage was reflected. This mastering of his talent provided Lowell and his wife Karen, three daughters and two sons, additional inspiration in the Hopi way. Lowell's total commitment to art, accuracy and his exquisitely beautiful message of movement is felt when one views a creation from this master artist.

Lowell also worked in bronze, and many of those creations are shown in major galleries around the country. The original for each bronze was carved from wood, taking months to complete. Lowell used a process called the lost wax method to make each bronze casting. The bronze is so perfect that one can actually see the wood grain from the original carving reproduced in the bronze. Talashoma's works are in select corporate and private collections, including those of the Valley National Bank of Arizona, Otero Savings and Loan of Colorado, renowned photographer Jerry Jacka and actor, producer, author and Southwestern enthusiast Robert Redford.

Photo Credit: from the book Hopi Katsina: 1,600 Artist Biographies by Gregory and Angie Schaaf

During the 1930s when the Depression-era was in full swing, New Mexico Pueblo Indians were severely affected. At Santo Domingo Pueblo (now Kewa Pueblo), the Indians became very resourceful and began producing jewelry from whatever materials they could find. One particular folk art creation they produced has become a very collectible item: the Depression-era necklace. Production continued at a lesser rate into the mid-20th century.

This necklace was made from several "found materials." The beads were made from bone, the black backing probably from automotive battery casing, the red from toothbrush handles or something similar, and the turquoise is genuine. These necklaces were usually in the squash blossom style, with pendants protruding from the sides and a bird pendant at the bottom, as is this one.

The dark green turquoise superimposed over the black casing material displays a rich and wonderful patina against the opaque bone beads that also have assumed a warm and old patina. The Thunderbird pendant is resplendent in all its red and white, particularly the star on the bird's body. This is a very good example of this style necklace.

Condition: very good condition.
Provenance: from a resident of Colorado
Recommended Reading: "Santo Domingo Pueblo Jewelry" by Sally and J. Roderick Moore in The Magazine Antiques, Brant Publications, Inc. July 2009, vol. CLXXVI, no. 1. pp. 56-61.

Subject: Kewa (Santo Domingo) Depression-era Thunderbird Necklace
Jeweler Unknown
Category: Necklaces
Origin: Kewa Pueblo (Santo Domingo)
Medium: bone, turquoise, plastic
Size: 26" long; 2-3/8" x 1-3/4" thunderbird
Item # C3366

This channel-inlay pin consists of turquoise, jet, mother-of-pearl, and Spondylus shell, mounted in silver bezels on silver backing. Silver wire earrings and a "halo" around the wing and tail feathers complete the ensemble. The pin probably dates to the second half of the 20th century. The pin clasp has a safety hook. It is not signed with the name of the maker.

Condition: as new
Provenance: from a gentleman in Santa Fe
Recommended Reading: Zuni Jewelry by Theda and Michael Bassman

Subject: Zuni Pueblo Knifewing Pin with Multiple Stones
Jeweler Unknown
Category: Pins
Origin: Zuni Pueblo
Medium: multi stones
Size: 1-3/8" x 1-5/8"
Item # C3190G

The pottery of Maria and Julian Martinez is much more diverse than the casual observer recognizes. After their marriage in 1904, Maria was making pottery and Julian began decorating it for her. Their first pottery was the traditional San Ildefonso Polychrome style and this continued for another decade before they began making blackware. Maria was an excellent potter and Julian an excellent painter. He painted the designs with mineral paints using a paint brush fashioned from the leaf of a yucca plant. Julian had a natural artistic sense and quickly became proficient.

Around 1912, Maria and Julian began producing plain polished Blackware pottery based on the tradition of the Tewa-speaking pueblos—Santa Clara, San Juan, San Ildefonso and Nambe. By 1919-20, Maria and Julian made a true discovery with the development of Black-on-black ware. Previously the Tewa black pottery was without decoration. It was Maria and Julian who devised the manner of adding a design.

Originally, Maria did not sign her pottery as it was and is the tradition of Pueblo Indians not to stand out from others of the village. Everyone is equal and everyone participates in events. Eventually she was convinced that it was important for collectors to have signed pottery, so, in 1923, she began signing the name Marie. The name Marie was selected because it was believed that the general public would understand Marie rather than Maria. Additionally, Marie was not her name as everyone in the village knew her by her Tewa name Poveka. Perhaps this was her way of satisfying the collectors without breaking pueblo tradition. Around 1925, Maria started adding Julian's name to the wares.

During the early years of their collaborative efforts, Maria and Julian produced Polychrome, Black-on-red, Buff-on-red, and Black-on-black pottery. Of these, the redware is the rarest of all pottery they produced. Black ware was so popular with collectors in the early years that they rarely fired any red ware. This piece, signed Marie, would have been made between 1923 and 1925, the only period that their pottery was signed in that manner. The design is also an earlier style of Julian's work. The checkerboard elements running vertical on the shoulder rarely appear after the 1930s.

This is a rare opportunity for a collector to add a piece of very hard-to-find Maria and Julian pottery to his or her collection.

Condition: The vessel is in very good condition; however the red slip shows some scarring due to moisture. There is no other damage, however.
Provenance: originally from a Minnesota collector
                      Recently from the estate of Michael F. Frost
Recommended Reading: The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez by Richard Spivey

Subject: San Ildefonso Buff-on-red Jar signed Marie
Artist / Potter: Maria Martinez 1887-1980
Category: Contemporary
Origin: San Ildefonso Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 5-3/4" tall x 7-3/4" diameter
Item # C3360H

When we originally sold this katsina doll to a client in 2003, we were not able to identify it. Now that we have it back from the estate of that client, we decided to see if we could be more successful in its identification. As we always do when we are stumped regarding a katsina doll, we consulted Chad Burkhardt, noted Katsina expert. Our only input was that it was from Zuni, not Hopi, based on the articulating arms and the dense (not cottonwood) wood.

Chad's comments were that he agreed it was likely from Zuni Pueblo based on style and material but it is not an identifiable katsina representation that he has seen. He dated it to circa 1940s due to the paint on the legs and feet and the carving of the hands and feet.

When we originally purchased the doll from a client in Kansas City, it was part of a large collection of dolls, approximately 27, all of which were authentic, so we do not doubt the authenticity of this as a Zuni carving, we only do not know what Katsina it represents. It is an excellent carving that is typical of Zuni workmanship.

Condition: very good structural condition with a repair to the left hand and missing item in the other hand. Most of the body paint has worn off which is an indication that it was probably natural pigment, not commercial paint.
Provenance: originally from the collection of a Kansas City family
most recently from the estate of Michael F. Frost

Recommended Reading: Kachinas of the Zuni by Barton Wright

Subject: Zuni Pueblo Unidentified Katsina Doll
Carver Unknown
Category: Traditional
Origin: Zuni Pueblo
Medium: wood, fur, feathers, pigment
Size: 9-1/2" tall
Item # C3360o

Very little is known about New Mexico Pueblo katsinas or katsina dolls so one must speculate when describing such.  At Hopi, we know that Mudhead Katsinas (Koyemsi) serve religious and secular functions so it is assumed the same is true at New Mexico Pueblos.  They function as chiefs during the season called Kwiyamuya, and as clowns at other times.  They are probably the most popular and recognized of all katsinam. 

They appear in almost every ceremony as clowns, drummers, announcers of dances, and other roles.  During the rest period in a dance, they may engage in games with the boys and girls in the audience.  At other times, only a single Mudhead may appear as a drummer for a group.  These katsinam appear in almost every pueblo dance.

The Mudhead Katsina head covering is made from canvas and is covered in mud as is the body of the Katsina.  The knots on the mask have been described as representing deformity and are used to pass on to the Hopi that incest is wrong and will result in such deformity.  They are used as teaching demonstrations in many occasions.

It was pointed out to us that the white lines on the body of the doll are a New Mexico style of body paint, not the style at Hopi.  Also, the black-on-white bowl carried by the katsina doll is most likely a Laguna Pueblo bowl.  It is for these two reasons that we are accepting the comments of an informant who contacted us and we are attributing this doll to Laguna Pueblo.

It is assumed that this representation of a Mudhead Katsina is one of a very religious purpose.  It is the only completely nude Mudhead Katsina doll of which we are aware. The bowl in his right hand probably holds sacred corn meal and the outward extension of the left hand indicates that he is distributing the corn meal to a person or place.

The pigment used on the head and body appears to be from a natural source and not of a commercial source.  The carving may be from the mid-20^th century.  A metal support stand is provided with the doll.

Recommended Reading: Katsina: Commodified and Appropriated Images of Hopi Supernaturals by Zena Pearlstone

Subject: Hopi Koyemsi (Mudhead) Katsina Doll with Ceremonial Bowl
Carver Unknown
Category: Traditional
Origin: Laguna Pueblo
Medium: wood, pigments
Size: 11-1/2" tall
Item # C3360N

"After the Winter Solstice Ceremonies, each Kiva may give one dance before presenting their Kouupchonane performance, and the Hilili is frequently chosen for this extra dance because it is well liked.  When they come to dance the Hilili, named for the kachina' s cry, the Hilili and the Hilili Okya form the usual two lines facing a given direction in the plaza.  They do not sing but instead are accompanied by a chorus of singers (tenenakwe) of Chathlashi Kachinas." Barton Wright, Kachinas of the Zuni

This small Katsina doll is one of the Chathlashi mentioned above.

Condition:  very good condition with some abrasion and wear to the painted surfaces

Provenance: from the estate of Michael Frost

Recommended Reading:  Kachinas of the Zuni by Barton Wright

Subject: Subject: Zuni Pueblo Chathlashi Katsina Doll
Carver Unknown
Category: Traditional
Origin: Zuni Pueblo
Medium: Cottonwood, fabric
Size: 6 3/4" tall
Item # C3360L

This Salimopia is one of twelve Salimopia. There are two for each of the six directions. Each represents the epitome of youth, vitality, and beauty. They are messengers of the gods, guides for the Katsinas, and warriors. They are young and their actions are quick and darting. Their masks are nearly hidden behind the ruff of crow feathers.

In traditional Zuni form, the arms of the doll have been attached with a nail so that they articulate. Also in traditional Zuni style, the skirt has been elaborately decorated. The body is painted. He carries a yucca staff in each hand and, additionally, in his left hand, he carries sheep scapulae. Yarn is used for the ruff, the armband and ankle bands.

Condition: very good condition
Provenance: from the estate of Michael Frost
Recommended Reading: Kachinas of the Zuni by Barton Wright

Subject: Zuni Pueblo Salimopia Katsina Doll
Carver Unknown
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Zuni Pueblo
Medium: Cottonwood Root, Felt, Yarn
Size: 7-3/4" tall
Item # C3360M

Rondina Huma walked away with awards from the 1996 Santa Fe Indian Market. One of her pieces was awarded "Best of Show," "Best of Division," and "Best Traditional Pottery." She is recognized for her intricate designs, incorporating hundreds of small elements. Her burnishing is exceptional and her painting of designs remarkable.

Rondina Huma has been one of the most sought after Hopi potters for over a decade now. She has been featured in many publications and her work is represented in major galleries and museums throughout the country. There is no mystery as to why she has won many awards over the years for her exquisite work. She deserves every accolade bestowed on her. Her pottery is traditional in every manner. She hand coils all her vessels and uses only vegetal and mineral paints. Traditional firing is carried out as well.

Condition: structurally in excellent condition. There is some minor abrasion to the painted design in one small triangular design area near the rim. A portion of the artist's signature is worn off but her name is clearly readable.
Provenance: Adobe Gallery sold this to a client in Canada around 1985 and it was returned to the gallery for re-sale in 2005 at which time it was sold to a client in Texas from whose estate we have received it.
Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay by Edwin Wade and Allan Cooke

Subject: Hopi Polychrome Jar with Elaborate Decoration
Artist / Potter: Rondina Huma (1947 - present)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: Native Materials
Size: 3-3/8" deep x 5" diameter
Item # C3360J

This is a rare early redware jar by Maria Martinez (1887-1980) and Popovi Da (1922-1971). Popovi started working with his mom in 1956. He worked with Maria in all aspects of pottery preparation and their pieces were co-signed. It was his intent to assist his mother and not to take away from her attention that kept him from making pottery on his own. He was going to pursue his career after his mother was no longer making pottery. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1971. It was, at that time, that Maria retired.

This jar was made, most likely, between 1956 and 1960. It is co-signed, but not dated. Popovi applied a date to most pieces made after 1960. During the lifetime of this jar, perhaps from the very beginning, it served as a lamp base. The bottom of the jar was drilled for a lamp cord. The drill hole did not mar the signatures.

This is a major effort by Maria and Popovi and is a masterpiece of their collaboration. It demonstrates, once again, that they were among the finest team ever to produce pueblo potter in the mid-20th century.

Condition: a hole was drilled in the bottom to accommodate a lamp cord at one time in the history of the jar. It appears that a slip crack just above the shoulder was professionally repaired. There are a few minor scratches but nothing of great significance.
Provenance: formerly sold by Gallery 10 of Santa Fe and Scottsdale
                      From the estate of Michael Frost
Recommended Reading: The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez by Richard Spivey

Subject: Buff-on-red Tall Neck Jar Signed as Maria / Popovi
Artists / Potters: Maria Martinez 1887-1980 and Popovi Da
Category: Contemporary
Origin: San Ildefonso Pueblo
Medium: Native Materials
Size: 15" tall x 9-7/8" diameter
Item # C3360G

From the Dust Jacket:

THE POTTERY OF
ACOMA PUEBLO
DWIGHT P LANMON AND
FRANCIS H. HARLOW

THE POTTERY TRADITION OF ACOMA PUEBLO is one of the most significant and varied among the Pueblo people of the Southwest. This book traces the history of Acoma pot­tery over the past seven hundred years. In the pursuit of this project, the authors, foremost authorities in the field, have located, studied, and photographed several thousand examples. They present more than eight hundred here, along with dozens of photographs of potters, several of whom are identified for the first time.

The focus of concentration is on the traditional period (circa 1300-1890) and the transitional period (circa 1880-1930). The modern period is summarized briefly. An important contribution to the literature is the identification of more than nine hundred Acoma potters who worked between about 1880 and the present.

Pottery vessels served the functions of everyday life and ceremonial rites at Acoma Pueblo for centuries, but potters did not consider their pots to be common­place utensils. Rather they believed them to be sacred and blessed, a gift of Mother Earth. Pottery was thought to have intrinsic, life-giving powers, and vessels took on the attributes of whatever they held.

Acoma pottery has evolved significantly in form and decoration over the past seven hundred years, each change reflecting the interplay of many factors, including tech­nology and style, individual innovations, and changing markets and functions of pottery vessels. The book is a com­prehensive illustrated survey of Acoma pottery at a depth and level of detail that has never before been achieved; it will surely be the standard for all studies in the future, indis­pensable to collectors, researchers, archaeologists, Native arts enthusiasts, and all who appreciate the beauty and heri­tage of Pueblo ceramics.

Title: THE POTTERY OF ACOMA PUEBLO

Author: Francis Harlow, et al.
Subject: Native American Pottery
Date Published: 2013
Size: 623 pages