Black and Sienna Lidded Jar by Medicine Flower and Camilio

This sgraffito-style carved blackware pottery jar was made by Grace Medicine Flower and Camilio Tafoya of Santa Clara Pueblo. It is a short, wide vessel with a flat base. This is a beautiful, well-crafted jar, which is exactly what we'd expect of these talented artists.

The exterior was skillfully stone polished, resulting in a smooth, consistent sheen. The artists utilized a secondary heat source to create two oval-shaped clouds of sienna. They emerge from the black, hanging down from the rim. Within each sienna cloud, a sgraffito design depicts a Yei figure. The image in each sienna oval is that of a Yei figure presented in a curved position.

In the many similar shaped pieces we have had in the past, none of them had a lid, so it is especially exciting to have this one for which they made a black and sienna lid. Interestingly, the sienna sections on the jar were stone polished, but on the lid, they chose to leave the sienna in matte finish. The bottom of the pot is signed Grace Medicine Flower and Camilio Tafoya.

Grace Medicine Flower and her father, Camilio Tafoya, collaborated on pottery for many years. Grace Medicine Flower (1938- ) says she started working with Camilio Tafoya (1902-1995) when she was just a child. She started making very traditional Santa Clara carved ware but eventually developed her contemporary style of sgraffito carving. Camilio, too, started with traditional carved ware but specialized in very large pieces. These potters were members of the renowned Tafoya family of Santa Clara Pueblo. Grace mastered the techniques of sgraffito carving and took it to a new level, with a delicate touch and a delicate balance. Her grandmother was Sara Fina Tafoya, and her brother was Joseph Lonewolf.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Black and Sienna Lidded Jar by Medicine Flower and Camilio is from the collection of a long-time Adobe Gallery client

Recommended Reading: ART OF CLAY Timeless Pottery of the Southwest by Lee M. Cohen

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Sara Fina Tafoya,  Agapita Yellow Flower Tafoya, Joseph Lonewolf, Margaret Tafoya, Grace Medicine Flower, Camilio Sunflower Tafoya