Santo Domingo Small Bowl by Santana Melchor

This exceptional serving bowl was made by Santana Melchor of Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pueblo about a decade ago. It was purchased by the current owner in 2017.

Santana Melchor (1889-1978) was considered one of the finest potters at Kewa Pueblo in the early- and mid-20th century. She made exceptional large storage jars. Throughout her career, she used traditional designs and is responsible for keeping that tradition alive. She was part of the delegation of pueblo potters who visited the White House in 1974 as a guest of first lady Pat Nixon.

During the period 1920 to 1940, many potters at Santo Domingo were making small, poorly made tourist wares to be sold by the roadside, but later in the period, there was an improvement in the quality of the tourist wares. Santana Melchor was certainly an innovator who produced the finer tourist wares. It was also at that time that designs began to include birds, plant forms, and animals, much more than ever before. The potential for sales seemed to be greater when these design elements were used.

Following these two decades, pottery production was greatly reduced at the pueblo because many artisans were making fine jewelry, which was much more remunerative than pottery. Only a few potters continued the craft. Melchor was one of the finest at doing so. Her jars were beautifully formed with a bulge at the mid-section, incurving upper body and rolled out rim. She decorated her pieces in a technically proficient manner. It is no wonder that she was one of the chosen few selected to visit the White House in 1974.

This jar was decorated with a design of flowers outlined with black pigment, achieved by painting an outline in black that enclosed the creamy white. The rim is black. There is a pair of framing lines at the neck and another pair below the painted panel.  The jar is signed Santana Melchor Santo Domingo Pueblo on the underside.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Santo Domingo Small Bowl by Santana Melchor is from the estate of a Santa Fe resident

Recommended Reading: A River Apart: The Pottery of Cochiti & Santo Domingo Pueblos by Valerie Verzuh, et al.

TAGS: Kewa Pueblo - Santo Domingo, Crucita Melchor, Dolorita Melchor, Santana Melchor