Grace Medicine Flower and Camilio Tafoya Sienna-on-black Pottery Jar [SOLD]

Grace Medicine Flower and her father, Camilio Tafoya, outdid themselves with this jar.  Its shape is perfect, and the skill required in first, creating the blackware finish, followed up with a secondary heating of three spotlight areas in sienna makes this jar unmatched.  More specifically, in gradual formation the black gives way to sienna.  Each of the three sienna areas features different content carved in the sgraffito style for which Grace is known.  The next rare aspect of this jar is a portion of this content— two Yei figures— borrowed from the Navajo Nation and their religion.  Each Yei holds what appear to be sacred plants, most likely tobacco, or wheat.  The third and final pictorial features bear paws and corn.  Margaret Tafoya and Sara Fina Tafoya are widely credited with popularizing bear paws, meant as a symbol of being led to water. 

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.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Grace Medicine Flower and Camilio Tafoya Sienna-on-black Pottery Jar is from the collection of a client from Michigan

Reference: American Indian Pottery: An Identification and Value Guide by John W. Barry

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