Drum Shape Polychrome Lidded Pottery Box [SOLD]

Dolores Curran, originally from Santa Clara Pueblo, married and moved to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo around 1977. She has specialized in miniature pottery since her first piece at age 9. Her designs are each original to the piece of pottery on which she is working. She does not record her designs because she doesn't want to start copying herself. She prefers to fit each design to the pot on which it goes. She now designates her pottery as being from Santa Clara Pueblo.

This cylindrical pottery lidded box is beautifully designed and painted.  The base has several bands of design. The middle one is the widest, containing white oval elements within stepped boxes painted with micaceous clay and outlined in white.  Below this band is a continuous circle of a wavy Avanyu-like design.  Near the rim is a continuous chain of clouds.

The lid has a butterfly in the center and a Rain Bird-like single element surrounded by a chain of white clouds.  The outer rim is filled with a circle of white painted feathers.  On the interior of the lid is a Sun-face design, the upper half executed in white and the lower executed in red lines.

Dolores Curran and Geri Naranjo are sisters and both work in miniature scale. Dolores's daughter, Ursula Curran, also makes miniature pottery. The entire family is very talented.

Condition: original condition

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

Provenance: from the collection of a resident of California