Seated Female Storyteller with 4 Children [SOLD]

Dorothy Trujillo, who passed away in 1999, was an outstanding potter. She was originally from Jemez Pueblo, but moved to Cochiti following her marriage to Onofre Trujillo, and obtained permission to make pottery using Cochiti clay.

Dorothy was one of the early potters to make storytellers.  She was from a family of outstanding potters. Her sisters, Mary E. Toya, Marie Edna Coriz, Alma Concha Loretto, Fannie Wall Loretto, and Lenora Lupe Lucero, are famous potters as well.  Interestingly, her sisters also married out of their native pueblo and moved to the pueblo of their spouses.

In true Cochiti Pueblo tradition, Dorothy made her figurine with eyes closed and mouth open. The closed eyes represent “thought” and the open mouth represents “storytelling.” Her adult holds four children.

This is an older figurine by Dorothy.  It was purchased at the Case Trading Post of The Wheelwright Museum in 1976.  When the owners purchased it, it had the name Mary Martin written in ink on the underside.  For the last 40 years they thought they had a storyteller by Mary Martin, but this storyteller was most definitely made by Dorothy Trujillo.  I knew Dorothy and all her sisters and purchased storytellers from all of them starting in 1978.  I know this to be the work of Dorothy Trujillo.

We are showing five other storytellers as Related Items below because they are all within a reasonable price range of this one and will provide an alternative choice should you wish.

Condition: very good condition with the exception of a very minor chip on the back side of the left hand of the young boy sitting on the adult’s right leg.  The chip is not visible from the front and only seen if turning the figurine around.  It is very minor

Recommended Reading:   The Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition by Barbara Babcock.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery

Provenance: from a family from Illinois