Black and Sienna Small Jar with Sgraffito Design [SOLD]

It is difficult to definitively establish the innovator of a pottery style or technique but it can be stated that Joseph Lonewolf of Santa Clara Pueblo was among the first, if not the first, to experiment with sgraffito designs in clay in the early 1970s.  If there was another potter making sgraffito designs before then, I offer my apologies for not giving that person credit.

Kevin Naranjo is a younger potter but has mastered the technique of pottery construction and sgraffito design.  Kevin is the son of Geri Naranjo and the grandson of Ursulita Naranjo. He and his sister Monica Naranjo are both outstanding potters, having learned from their mother.

Kevin incorporated two design techniques in this jar.  From the shoulder up to the rim he lightly carved the design.  From the mid-body downward he decorated the jar with pictorial sgraffito designs. 

This jar is signed Kevin Naranjo / Tricia Pena / Santa Clara / San Ildefonso Pueblo on the base.

Condition: original condition

Recommended Reading:  Pueblo Indian Pottery – 750 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Provenance: from the collection of a resident of California