Sara Fina Tafoya Historic Santa Clara Pueblo Jar with Swirling Rib Design [SOLD]

This redware pottery jar was made by Santa Clara Pueblo matriarch Sara Fina Tafoya. This is an incredibly rare form and a wonderful example of Tafoya's work. At ten inches in height by twelve in diameter, this jar is similar in size to the typical pueblo water jar. The manner in which it was enhanced, though, is quite unique.

Tafoya modified the vessel by creating a pattern of swirling ribs around the exterior. Ribbed vessels like this—"melon jars," as they are often called—would become common later as potters like Helen Shupla made market-ready pieces. This example likely dates to between 1890 and 1910. At that point, this style was most unusual. This piece displays wear from handling and use, particularly around the base, as well as the type of appealing patina we see on well-used historic pieces. The deep red tone is absolutely gorgeous, and the vessel itself is remarkable.

Charles S. King's Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya provides a passage that supports our attribution: "But it was perfection and dedication of oneself to the process, not the perfection of the pottery itself, that she sought. Sara Fina often said about her own pottery, ‘Nothing is perfect.' When she was firing a red pot, she would often take a stick and touch it to the vessel, leaving a dark mark. She would say, ‘We are not to have anything that perfect made from clay. Only Some One more powerful than we are can have perfection' (Toni Roller 2007)." On this piece, that dark mark appears just above the jar's widest point, at the center of one of the raised ribs. It is darker and more concentrated than a fire cloud, and it is clearly a deliberate marking.

Sara Fina Tafoya (circa 1863-1950) Autumn Leaf was one of the most famous nineteenth-century Santa Clara Pueblo potters. Tafoya married Geronimo Tafoya and had eight children, a group that included Margaret Tafoya. Sara Fina was an exceptional potter from about 1880 to 1950, making large, magnificent pottery jars, some more than three feet tall. Because she lived and worked into the first half of the twentieth century, her name is familiar to collectors today and her pottery is easily recognizable. Tafoya's works are included in many major public and private collections.

Condition: excellent condition with wear from handling and use

Provenance: this Sara Fina Tafoya Historic Santa Clara Pueblo Jar with Swirling Rib Design is from a private collection

Reference: Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya, Charles S. King

TAGS: Christina Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Mary Cain, Pueblo Pottery, Margaret Tafoya, Camilio Tafoya, utilitarian vessels Tammy Garcia, Linda Cain, Sara Fina Tafoya