Diné (Navajo) Tall Graceful Brown Pottery Jar [SOLD]

The Navajo have traditionally made pottery for their own use. Pottery drums and pipes were made for ceremonial use and coffee pots and cups made for daily use. It was not until after World War II, when traveling resumed and highway construction commenced on the Navajo Reservation, that pottery production increased. Prior to that, only three paved roads bordered the reservation and none crossed into it, therefore there were no incentives to produce something for sale when there were no buyers.

As tourists began visiting the Navajo Nation, there became a need for inexpensive items for them to purchase as souvenirs: items less expensive than jewelry or rugs. The traders encouraged the women to make pottery to fill this need. Thus, we have the creation of a new marketable item.

Alice Cling began to learn pottery making in 1966 when she returned to Shonto after graduating from high school. She developed a unique style incorporating simplicity of form and a soft surface sheen. The beautiful rich brown slip she developed is a polished sheen unlike other Diné potters' works.

This beautiful jar expands from a small base to the mid body and then upward in a graceful neck to the opening at the top. It is graceful in design and burnished to a flawless finish. There are several deliberately placed fire clouds that accent the plainness of the undecorated jar. The interior is coated with piñon pitch.

Condition:  It is in very good condition and is signed on the underside Alice Cling.

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

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