Tesuque Pueblo Rain God Figurine with Large Vessel [SOLD]

There has been much speculation regarding the origin of Tesuque Rain God figurines.  Figurative pottery from New Mexico pueblo potters has a long tradition, at least as far back as 1880 or a little earlier.  The earliest documented Rain God from Tesuque was collected in 1879.  Figurines were likewise made at Cochiti Pueblo at the same time.  There was a thriving market for such through merchants in Santa Fe who sold to visiting tourists as well as through catalogs.  Potters at Tesuque responded to requests by merchants to provide curio items for sale by the merchants to the tourist market.

While tourists were enchanted with figurative pottery and purchasing it for their own gratification, museum curators were shunning it as vulgar and low class.  Very few of the many thousands of figurines that were made ended up in museum collections at the time.  Museum curators felt that merchants were encouraging potters to make cheap kitsch at the expense of producing their traditional fine pottery.  What was poorly understood a hundred years ago is now appreciated for its uniqueness and charm.

There is some disagreement among scholars as to the actual origin of Tesuque Rain God figurines.  One scholar believes they were a revival of an older figurine pattern.  Another believes that the horns, ears, and exaggerated sexual characteristics tie them to Kokopelli, the hump-backed flute player found on rock art.  Still another scholar believes they were a rebirth of traditional figurative pottery at Cochiti and Tesuque Pueblos.  Lastly, another scholar ties the rain god to pre-Columbian funerary figures and that they were influenced by Mexican wares but interpreted from a unique pueblo perspective.

Regardless of the origin, they have existed as a pottery item from Tesuque Pueblo for at least 135 years

So they are certainly traditional to the pueblo now even if not at that time. 

This rain god figurine carries an unusually large pot on its lap.  There is a painted design on the head and cheeks and what can be interpreted as a necklace around the neck.  The pottery bowl is also decorated.

Condition:  very good condition with no damage and some abrasion of the painted surface expected on an item of this age.

Provenance: from the collection of a former Santa Fe resident.

Recommended Reading:  When Rain Gods Reigned: From Curios to Art at Tesuque Pueblo by Duane Anderson