Nathan Youngblood is the grandson of Margaret Tafoya and son of Mela Youngblood. His sister is Nancy Youngblood. Nathan performs many public services as well as finding time to make exquisite pottery. For a more detailed biography of him, take a look on our website by clicking on his name above.

Youngblood is known for his creative designs and technical precision. His burnishing is very fine and he finely sands the edges of his carved designs. He often combines redware with buffware, as in this plate.

He created a stylized Avanyu circling around a buff circle in the center of the plate and placed a raised buff border to frame the design. The cream/tan background is matte finish and the remainder is stone polished.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the estate of a collector from Colorado
Recommended Reading: Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Artist: Nathan Youngblood (1954-present) Deer Path
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Santa Clara Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 8-1/2" diameter x 1" deep
Item # C3356B

Nathan Youngblood is known for his contributions to public service. He has sat on the Board of Directors of the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe and volunteered his time at the annual Wheelwright auction. He has also served on the boards for the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial and the Southwestern Association on Indian Arts (SWAIA), the producer of Santa Fe Indian Market. He has been a board member of the American Crafts Council in New York, on the advisory board for the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe. He has lectured at the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Denver Museum of Natural History, and Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe as well as numerous other venues.

With all this public service, Youngblood finds time to make exquisite pottery in the tradition of his famous Tafoya family. He is the grandson of Margaret Tafoya and son of Mela Youngblood. His sister is Nancy Youngblood. Youngblood is known for his creative designs and technical precision. His burnishing is very fine and he finely sands the edges of his carved designs. Like his grandmother, he believes in the importance of traditional firing one pot at a time, thus greatly diminishing the chance of damage to pottery that may have taken 300 to 400 hours of preparation.

There is probably no one who does not know who Nancy Youngblood is but, if that is not the case, then here is a short introduction to her. She is the granddaughter of Margaret Tafoya and daughter of Mela Youngblood. She is a master crafts person and certainly one of the most famous younger potters of today. Nancy is known for her patience in making the most precise and perfect pottery. She spares no effort in producing the perfect pot. For more information on her, check the more detailed biography on our website by clicking on her name above.

This melon jar, with 32 ribs, is typical of the intense amount of work she puts into each creation. Each of these ribs is polished on both sides, leaving the valley between parallel ribs in the matte state. Each rib was polished to a beautiful sheen and the firing of the pot was perfect.

Condition: the jar is in original condition with the exception of a very minor abrasion on one rib.
Provenance: from the estate of a collector from Colorado
Recommended Reading: Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Subject: Santa Clara Polished Black Melon Jar
Artist / Potter: Nancy Youngblood (1955-present) Yellow Aspen
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Santa Clara Pueblo
Medium: clay
Size: 3-1/4" tall x 3-7/8" diameter
Item # C3356A

Nancy Youngblood is the granddaughter of Margaret Tafoya and daughter of Mela Youngblood. She is a master crafts person and certainly one of the most famous younger potters of today. Nancy is known for her patience in making the most precise and perfect pottery. She spares no effort in producing the perfect pot.

As a child, her military father gave the family a cosmopolitan background by traveling through Europe and living in The Netherlands. At age 12, she returned to the pueblo where she began to watch her grandmother's work. This was her primary tutorial in what was to become her calling-traditional Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery-but of the highest quality.

Youngblood fires each piece in the traditional way using an open pit that resembles that of a campfire. Early on, she would fire outside, being vulnerable to wind and rain, elements that dictate how successful a firing will be. To overcome this hazard, Youngblood designed and built her own enclosed firing house at the pueblo making weather concerns minimal, yet still keeping with tradition.

After preparing, polishing and carving a piece-which could take from 50 to 300 hours-in this final process there is always the chance that the item will crack and sometimes explode in the fire. There are no gauges to use in determining when a pot is ready to remove from the firing process.

Youngblood has received several hundred awards for her pottery at all the major venues where artist compete. Her pottery has been exhibited in major galleries and museums and she has been published in books and articles.

Pauline Setalla was born and raised on the Second Mesa village of Mishongnovi. When she married Justin Setalla they moved to his ranch in Snowbird Canyon which is approximately 3 miles from Keams Canyon on the reservation. Their home was a traditional Hopi adobe home that had been built by Justin and his dad Roscoe. It had no modern conveniences of today's standards. Light was provided by kerosene and Coleman lantern and heat by wood and coal in a stove. Drinking water had to be hauled from the family well. Under these conditions, Pauline Setalla mastered the techniques of pottery production.

Her pottery is noted for its strong, bold designs, excellent painting quality, stippled shading and beautiful clay that fires in warm shades from yellow to orange. Her forms are well balanced and elegant in shape. The symmetry reflects technical skill and confidence. Her designs are bolder than often seen on Hopi pottery by other potters. Her work is immediately recognizable.

The large storage jar is typical of her outstanding workmanship. It is beautifully proportioned and skillfully constructed. The rim rolls out in undulating ripples which the potter accented by painting it a rusty red. The body design includes the face of a Long Hair Katsina and ears of corn. To the Hopi, corn is not only the traditional staff of life but also the symbol of spiritual food and welfare.

This jar is a perfect complement to a pair of large cylinder jar made by Setalla at the same time. The three pieces have been together for about 40 or 50 years and deserved to continue their relationship, however, we must, of course, sell them separately if that is the desire of the purchaser.

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: Hopi Large Polychrome Storage Jar with Fluted Rim
Artist / Potter: Pauline Setalla (1930-?)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 9-3/8" tall x 12-1/4" diameter
Item # C3309K

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 Navasie, 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.  

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
Size: 11-3/4" tall x 7-1/4" diameter
Item # C3309H-J

Travelers to New Mexico who have been to Acoma Pueblo are familiar with the original village atop the mesa known today as Sky City. It was on top of that mesa in 1898 that Lucy Martin Lewis was born and it was there that she grew up without the benefit of going to school. It was there also that she was struck by lightning in the 1960s. There was little hope that she would ever work again, but with perseverance she regained her muscle strength and went on to become one of the most recognized potters at Acoma Pueblo.

Turkey figurines seem to be a popular art form for potters of New Mexico pueblos, perhaps because there is a large population of wild turkeys in the state. Most potters who make figurines include turkeys in the repertoire. This one is signed Lucy M. Lewis Acoma. Earlier, there was a time when she did not sign her pottery, identifying them only by their place of origin: Acoma, N. M. or Sky City, N. M. At that time, Lucy sold her pots from a roadside stand on Route 66 for as little as a dollar or two. Today, they command significantly more.

This turkey is an earlier one by Lewis, not as early as the 1960s but early enough that she was painting exquisitely. Look at the red circles on the back of the turkey and notice that each circle is outlined in small black dots. Notice also the precision with which the parallel black lines were executed. This is an exceptional figurine.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from a family living in Illinois
Recommended Reading: Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham

Subject: Acoma Pueblo Polychrome Turkey Figurine by Lucy Lewis
Artist / Potter: Lucy Martin Lewis (1898-1992)
Category: Figurines
Origin: Acoma Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 3-3/4" tall x 4" wide
Item # C3359A

Lucy Martin Lewis passed away on March 12, 1992 at a supposed age of 93. Her year of birth is not known. She spent nearly all her life atop the high mesa of Acoma Pueblo, making pottery since the age of 7. She is largely responsible for the revival of Mimbres black-on-white pottery designs which are more than 1,000 years old. She was famous, as well, for her exquisite polychrome designs and her fine-line and lightning designs.

Lucy Lewis was one of the most widely respected potters from her pueblo. She was the last of the Acoma matriarchs. She followed pueblo tradition in every step of pottery production-offering prayers of thanks to Mother Earth for the clay, taking only as much clay as she needed, working the clay with only her hands, forming the vessel from coils of clay, scraping the walls with tools fashioned from gourds, painting the vessel with slips and paints made from clay and vegetal sources and, finally, firing the finished pieces in an outdoor handmade kiln. Lucy signs her potter as Lucy M. Lewis.

Betty Sabo is one of Albuquerque's most famous contemporary artists. She was a student at some point of Carl Von Hassler, probably in the early years of her career. She was best known as a painter until later in her career at which time she switched to sculpture. Her paintings were so popular they were snatched up before the paint dried.

She studied art at UNM in the late 1940s and was a renowned painter before she began to create the signature bronzes in her mid-60s. The Albuquerque Museum commissioned one of her first pieces; the 1995 bronze "Julia Resting," of a woman seated on a bench outside the museum's front doors. She also sculpted the Botanical Garden work featuring Clyde and Carrie Tingley, neighbors of Sabo's when she was a child. Clyde Tingley was an early Governor of New Mexico.

Paintings by Sabo are relatively rare as those who knew her when she was a painter have tended to keep those they purchased. It has been a number of years since she painted, so there are no recent ones for collectors to purchase and there will be no more as Sabo is living with Alzheimers.

Sabo's legacy, other than the fine art she produced, will be her determination in 1986 to acquire for the Albuquerque Museum the large quantity of fine art amassed at her alma mater, Albuquerque High School. Graduating classes had developed the routine of purchasing a painting for the school at graduation each year. The school collection contained paintings by Oscar Berninghaus, Ernest Blumenschein, Bert Phillips and Carl Redin. A Santa Fe gallery was attempting to purchase the collection but Sabo was determined it should stay in Albuquerque. She succeeded and that collection now resides permanently at the museum.

This Sabo painting is clear evidence of Sabo's artistic talent in rendering New Mexico as New Mexican see it on a regular basis. The dark sky is typical of fall storms approaching, rolling over the mountains and heading toward the ranchito. The sun is still shining on the buildings but will disappear shortly to the effect of the storm. Sabo was just the best at depicting such a scene. This painting is not dated but is certainly prior to 1990.

Condition: This painting is in original excellent condition. It is signed Sabo in lower left. Although there is nothing structurally wrong with the frame, I think it is too distracting from the fine art work and I suggest a simpler frame would be better.
Provenance: from the collection of a resident of Arizona
Recommended Reading: The book, The New Mexico Experience: 1598-1998 by University of New Mexico President Richard E. Peck is a wonderful brief history of New Mexico that is highly recommended for anyone interested in any aspect of the state (history, science, art, culture).

Title: Original Oil Painting "Cottonwood with Adobes"
Artist: Betty Sabo (1928 - present)
Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: oil on board
Size: 11-5/8" x 15-5/8" image; 20-1/2" x 24-1/2" framed
Item # C3358

Betty Jean Sabo is one of Albuquerque's most famous contemporary artists. She was a student at some point of Carl Von Hassler, probably in the early years of her career. She was best known as a painter until later in her career at which time she switched to sculpture.

She studied art at UNM in the late 1940s and was a renowned painter before she began to create the signature bronzes in her mid-60s. The Albuquerque Museum commissioned one of her first bronze pieces; the 1995 bronze "Julia Resting," of a woman seated on a bench outside the museum's front doors. She also sculpted the Botanical Garden work featuring Clyde and Carrie Tingley, neighbors of Sabo's when she was a child. Clyde Tingley was an early Governor of New Mexico.

Paintings by Sabo are relatively rare as those who knew her when she was a painter have tended to keep those they purchased. It has been a number of years since she painted, so there are no recent ones for collectors to purchase.

Rose Chino Garcia 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 is an exceptional potter, achieving beautifully thin-walled vessels and well-balanced designs. The design on this canteen is the purest fine-line design any artist could achieve. Each line, placed free-hand, is parallel to the next with separations of equal space between all of them. The star-burst at the center of the body is a perfect design to capture one's attention. The added heartline deer elements are one of her favorite designs.

The condition of the canteen is excellent. There are about three minute spall marks that are hard to find and certainly do not detract from the beauty of the canteen.

Subject: Acoma Pueblo Large Canteen by Rose Chino Garcia
Artist / Potter: Rose Chino Garcia (b. 1928)
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Acoma Pueblo
Medium: Native materials
Size: 10" tall x 8" diameter
Item # C3107D

Burel Naha is the son of Helen Naha (Feather Woman) and grandson of Paqua Naha (Frog Woman) and brother of Rainy Naha and Sylvia Naha. Burel and his sisters continued the tradition of their famous mother in producing pottery of the finest quality and with superb design creations. He signs his pottery with a Feather and Longhair Katsina Hallmark.

Burel specializes in traditional Hopi pottery but has created his own unique style. He enjoys painting spiders with intricate web designs all around his pottery. The earlier designs that he used were of the style of his mother's.

Burel received his BA at Brigham Young University. He was a teacher for many years and now has dedicated his life to the traditional ways of his Hopi ancestors. Burel credits his success to his mother for teaching him the traditional ways of their ancestors.

He has received awards from the New Mexico State Fair and the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial.
-Biography from Artists in Clay: The Winona Sate University Collection of Southwest Native American Pottery

Educated at Santa Fe's Institute of American Indian Art, the Maryland Institute's College of Art in Baltimore, and then overseas in Southern France and Florence, Italy, Tony Abeyta, a graduate of the Maryland Institute, returned to school taking postgraduate classes in art and filmmaking at the Chicago Art Institute on a Ford Foundation scholarship.

Abeyta uses the bold colors representative of his homeland and finds his medium of painting involving sand, acrylic, and oil paint, gold leafing and encaustic wax and collage elements to achieve the desired results of his work.

I use many different techniques, mediums and processes to reinforce my ideas. Although I have studied sculpture, drawing and printmaking, I choose painting as my means of translating these ideas as well as my spiritual self onto the canvas.

Abeyta works with vast fields of color and texture one might find in Indian crosses, early Navajo (Diné) blanket designs, as well as prehistoric sensibilities of Indian design and earth toned color. Abeyta's work has predominantly focused on Native American deities such as the Navajo (Diné) Yei-be-chai and Kachinas. He shows the importance of these images in Native American religion and culture without literally depicting them.

I want my work to reinforce the ideology of Indian religion, its strength, its beauty and semblance. I work to create an interpretation of these deities translated through myself and given an identity devoid of their actual documented existence. I'm more interested in an icon or the idea, which these beings represent. This system of ritual belief is the most important basis in Indian culture and insures its infinite existence.

Abeyta makes a living from his artwork, which also deals in American Indian images. Early recognition has allowed him to devote his time to what he loves best. Abeyta is an excellent example of the contemporary Southwestern Indian artist whose struggles for success have differed dramatically from predecessors.

Considered to be one of the finest contemporary painters today, artist Tony Abeyta, Navajo painter and jewelry designer, has been honored as a living treasure as part of the 2012 Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival-artists specially invited by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

This charcoal and ink wash was executed on paper which was then mounted on canvas. It is one of four such paintings by Tony Abeyta based on dreams he had in the late 1980s. Unfortunately, three of the paintings were destroyed in a fire and this is the only survivor. It was executed in 1987-1989.

The scene depicts a healing ceremony. The female in center is having her hair ceremonially washed. The fire to her right is a purification symbol. The young boy in the far left carries a medicine bag in one hand and has an Owl, a very powerful symbol to the Diné, on his outstretched arm. He seems to be wearing a crown. He is either standing behind or in another fire. The Lion in the far right is a healing figure-almost Sphinx-like. The young girl above the head of the lion is blowing a shell trumpet. There is a small boat in the background about center of the painting. In the front, right corner, is a chamissa plant. The male and female in the foreground represent participants in the ceremony. The overall painting is very mysterious and was based on a dream Abeyta had at the time. He recently stated that he has a hard time now describing what he felt at the time that he painted this scene.

The painting was executed on paper in charcoal and ink wash. It was then mounted on canvas and stretched to a wood frame. It has not been framed. Before it was attached to the canvas, a few small sections of paper received minor damage and it has been decided, in consultation with the artist, that it is best left as it is because the tears are basically not visible and the paper if fixed to canvas so no further tears can occur. It has been signed by the artist on the front and back. He also titled and dated the painting on the back.

Provenance: from a family collection in Taos, New Mexico
Recommended Reading: 100 Artists of the Southwest by Douglas Bullis (This hardback book is an excellent resource for reading about and seeing art by 100 Southwest artists-both Indian and non-Indian. Tony Abeyta is included.

Title: Original Painting Entitled "The Healing"
Artist: Tony Abeyta (1965-present)
Category: Paintings
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: charcoal and ink wash on paper/canvas
Size: 62" x 75" image
Item # C3350

Paqua Naha, whose first name translates to "frog," is known as Frog Woman. She was the first to carry this name. After she passed away, her daughter, Joy Navasie, became Frog Woman. Paqua worked mostly in "black and red on yellow," referring to black and red designs on yellow un-slipped pottery. It was she who developed the white pottery that is now the Frog Woman hallmark. She passed away about three years after developing this style and Joy continued producing it until she passed away last year.

These are three pottery creamers, all made and signed by Paqua. We are posting them together but they are available for purchase individually.

The one labeled B1 measures 3-3/4" tall x 3-3/4" diameter. It is in excellent condition with some abrasion to the painted design, but nothing of significance.

The one labeled B2 measures 3-7/8" tall x 3-1/8" diameter. It too is in excellent condition with only very minor abrasion to the brown paint.

The one labeled B3 measures 3-1/2" tall x 3" diameter. It also is in excellent condition with only very minor abrasion to the brown painted design.

All three are signed on the underside with the Paqua frog hallmark.

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman in Colorado
Recommended Reading: Ray Manley's Collecting Southwestern Indian Arts & Crafts. This 1979 paperback book does not feature pottery by Paqua, probably because she was no longer living when it was published, but there is a good spread on her daughter, Joy Navasie.

Subject: Hopi Pottery Cream Pitchers
Artist / Potter: Paqua Naha (1890-1955) Frog Woman
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 4" tall x 3-1/2" diameter approximately
Item # C3354B

Pottery house structures such as this seem to have been popular in the early- to mid-20th century. They were made by potters at several of the pueblos and were intended as inexpensive items to sell to tourists enchanted with New Mexico and its low adobe houses. They have become quite collectible now. It is difficult to place a date on most of them but probably mid-20th century or earlier is a good guess.

Condition: overall in excellent condition except that a small corner of the ground plane in the rear of the house broke off and has been glued back on and it truly is not noticeable.
Provenance: from a Santa Fe collector of pueblo pottery
Recommended Reading: Indian Arts and Crafts by Marjorie Miller

Subject: Jemez Pueblo Single Story Pottery House
Potter Unknown
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Jemez Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 4" tall x 3-1/2" diameter approximately
Item # C3190F

The original pueblo of Santa Ana was located close to Zia Pueblo and pottery from the two villages was quite similar in materials, technique and construction. In the mid-1700s, the pueblo acquired land near Bernalillo, just north of Albuquerque, for better farming land. This change in location effected a change in pottery as well. Santa Ana abandoned using lava as a tempering agent and started using river sand found close to the new village, which they had named Ranchitos. The old village is still maintained by a caretaker and is open for the annual feast day.

The move from the ancestral village to the new village of Ranchitos may be the reason for discontinuance of pottery production by those at Santa Ana. Sand temper was different from the basalt they were used to using and the quality of the pottery was more porous and less refined. It is probable that it was not as useable for day-to-day utilitarian use. It would be over 200 years before pottery production resumed again in any significant quantity.

Shortly after World War II a few potters from Santa Ana started selling pottery at Coronado State Monument near Albuquerque. Even this did not last long. By the mid-1970s, there was only one active potter at Santa Ana and she was Eudora Montoya. Montoya singly revived pottery production at the pueblo in the 1970s by teaching classes to a group of 18 women. This revival spurred interest in Santa Ana pottery; however that did not last long because most of the new potters did not continue production.

It is quite possible that the potter of this jar, Flora Gallegos, was a student of Eudora Montoya or perhaps a student of the later revival of pottery production. One of Eudora Montoya's original students-Elvira S. Montoya-instituted another revival in 1994, a revival that is still surviving, but barely.

This jar is well constructed and delightfully designed with what I presume are turkeys based on what appears to be waddles hanging down from their mouths.

Condition: appears to be in very good condition, perhaps original condition
Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman in Colorado
Recommended Reading: The Pottery of Santa Ana Pueblo by Francis Harlow, et al.

Subject: Santa Ana Pueblo Traditional Design Polychrome Jar
Artist / Potter: Flora Gallegos
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Santa Ana Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 4" tall x 5" diameter
Item # C3354D

Bruce LaFountain was raised on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in northern North Dakota, the official reservation of the Chippewa tribe.  His father was a strong influence in his youth who taught his son about his Chippewa heritage, an education that has stayed with the artist throughout his life.  His sculptures are based on his heritage.  He works in stone and bronze and his sculptures have a lightness and movement in a modernist style.

This sculpture of a Chippewa woman is graceful in the flow of her hair and her long sculptural neckline.  Her face is strong with features that evoke passion and strength.  This bronze was issued in 1987 in an edition of 30 of which this is number 29.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from the estate of a Colorado collector of fine art

Title: Bronze Sculpture “Something About a Woman”

Artist: Bruce LaFountain (1961-present)

Category: Bronze

Origin: Native American Artist

Medium: bronze - Chippewa, French, Cree

Size: 11” tall x 9” diameter

Item # C3356D

Al Qöyawayma is one of the most famous Hopi potters of the contemporary scene. He entered the art scene around 1970 and is still actively making pottery. Less known are his bronze sculptures but they are just as exciting as his unique pottery.

Qöyawayma attributes his pottery style to his aunt, the famous Hopi potter Elizabeth White or Polingaysi Qöyawayma. It was she who started the all-natural clay pottery without slip or design. He added the sculptural aspect to his work while hers was simpler and unadorned.

This bronze sculpture of "Corn Maiden" is a modern manifestation of the most important personage to all Hopi. Every Hopi infant is given a corn mother (perhaps not the correct words) and it stays with them throughout life. Corn is very important to the Hopi and her representation in bronze by Al Qöyawayma is a beautiful rendition in a very contemporary or modern style.

The sculpture was issued in 1985 in an edition of 30 of which this is number 26. It is signed by the artist.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the estate of a Colorado collector of fine art

Title: Bronze Sculpture "Corn Maiden"
Artist: Al Qöyawayma
Category: Bronze
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: bronze, wood
Size: 12" tall x 5" diameter of base
Item # C3356E

Occasionally we acquire a piece of pottery that is a joy to hold and a visual delight. Such is this marvelous Zuni Pueblo serving bowl. Not only was it constructed by a master potter and painted by a talented artist, it was perhaps lovingly used in the pueblo for decades before someone talked the owner into parting with it. It dates to the last half of the nineteenth century. 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 flares outward slightly, imparting a graceful shape to what could be an otherwise uninteresting one. The bowl is slipped in traditional fashion with cream-colored clay, over which is painted the design in mineral and vegetal paints. The underbody is slipped in red, a tradition generally abandoned in the mid-1860s and completely abandoned by 1880. 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 wave-like element encircling the bowl that is painted deep red and outlined in brown. Below this are two wide parallel framing lines with a very distinctive ceremonial break. The main body of the interior is elaborately designed with polka-dotted floral elements and red Zuni volute elements without the addition of brown outlining. The base of the bowl features a red square, outlined in brown, which is again outlined with a wavy brown frame.

This is one of the most extraordinary bowls we have had the pleasure to handle. A two-square-inch piece of clay blew out during firing, but the potter placed it back in and "cemented" it in place so that she could still use the bowl for home use. The piece has been professionally repaired at that point of damage.

Provenance: Cody Wyoming Collection. This Zuni Serving Bowl was part of the exhibit CODY, WYOMING POTTERY COLLECTION June 10, 2006 until September 10, 2006 and BOWLS: A Pueblo Necessity December 15, 2006 until December 31, 2006 presented at Adobe Gallery Santa Fe.

Subject: Zuni Pueblo Serving Bowl with Red Underbody
Potter Unknown
Category: Historic
Origin: Zuni Pueblo
Medium: Native Clay
Size: 4-3/4" deep x 11-1/4" diameter
Item # 24704