Diné (Navajo) Jar with Fish on Lid [SOLD]

Christine Nofchissey McHorse (1948-present) is an innovative potter who successfully combines the techniques and materials of traditional pottery with contemporary non-traditional forms and firing methods. She uses micaceous clay taken from the mountains near Taos to hand-build her vessels using the coil method.

Christine is Diné. She married into the Taos Pueblo heritage where she was introduced to the mica-speckled clay by her husband's grandmother, Lena Archuleta, who had a curio shop in Taos. Her first formal training began at the Institute of American Indian Arts, which she attended beginning at age 13, when the institute was still a high school. Today, Christine's work reveals an ingenious combination of innovation and tradition, typical of the finest Navajo crafts.

Christine achieves beauty through simplicity of design. Beauty and simplicity of form are the basis for her work. This jar is evidence of her achievements.  It is a beautifully shaped vessel, stone polished natural clay with mica flakes visible, and a fitted lid with a fish on top.  Both the jar and lid are signed C McHorse.

Condition: original condition with some slip abrasion on underside.

Provenance: from the collection of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, collectors of Navajo art and authors of books on Navajo folk art.

Recommended Reading:  The People Speak: Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak