Louis (1932-1997) and Virginia Naranjo (b.1932) were standard bearers for the proud figurative pottery tradition of Cochiti Pueblo. They crafted their figurines at the kitchen table in their comfortable adobe home at the pueblo. They worked almost every day crafting their art with great care, joking and exchanging the gossip of the day as they went along, accompanied by television, children and grandchildren. Their art provided a good life for them and it provided a legacy that will be with us for another century or more.

Louis once explained why he began making bear storytellers. He was hunting one day and came across a female bear with two cubs. He watched the cubs playing and their antics inspired him to create the bear figurines.

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According to Barton Wright in his book Clowns of the Hopi: Tradition Keepers and Delight Makers "The Sikya Tsutskutu pull their hair up into clumps, one at either side of the head and sometimes one on the front.  They daub a thick yellow paint over their entire bodies and heads.  Below their mouth and each eye, they paint thin arcs of black with ends upturned.  A black dot is placed under the nose and over each eye at eyebrow level.  This decoration diverts the eye from the normal visage and renders the individual portraying the clown almost unidentifiable. They wear a piece of white cloth or blanket around their hips."

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This is a realistic rendition of an American Bison by Romando Vigil (1902-1978) Tse Ye Mu - Falling Cloud. He has shown him standing on a snowy hilltop as if eyeing that evergreen bush for lunch. It is an excellent presentation with the hair of the bison's head in minute detail.  The plant materials are presented in good scale and detail.

Romando Vigil was one of the San Ildefonso self-taught artists in the early part of the 20th century. He was a leader within the San Ildefonso Watercolor Movement, a movement that caught fire during 1915 to 1917. It fostered an art form unmatched in the cultural history of the world.

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Before the mid-1700s, potters at many New Mexico pueblos painted the rims of jars with a red slip, but then changed to black after that period.  The reason for this change is not clear as there was still ample red clay used on the interior of the rim as well as in the design of jars.  This jar appears to have had a red rim that overflowed from the interior neck but then was over-painted with black.

Potters at Zia Pueblo used, and still do, a cream-colored slip on the surface of the jar down to just a few inches from the bottom.  This slip is then stone polished to a smooth finish in preparation for applying the chosen design.  At the base of the cream slip, a red band is wiped on as a means of forming a clean line between the cream slip and the un-slipped lower body of the jar.

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This charcoal and ink wash was executed on paper which was then mounted on canvas. It is one of four such paintings by Tony Abeyta based on dreams he had in the late 1980s. Unfortunately, three of the paintings were destroyed in a fire and this is the only survivor. It was executed in 1987-1989.

The scene depicts a healing ceremony.  The female in center is having her hair ceremonially washed.  The fire to her right is a purification symbol.  The young boy in the far left carries a medicine bag in one hand and has an Owl, a very powerful symbol to the Diné, on his outstretched arm.  He seems to be wearing a crown.  He is either standing behind or in another fire.  The Lion in the far right is a healing figure. The young girl above the head of the lion is blowing a shell trumpet.  There is a small boat in the background about center of the painting.  In the front, right corner,  is a chamissa plant.  The male and female in the foreground represent participants in the ceremony. The overall painting is very mysterious and was based on a dream Abeyta had at the time.  He recently stated that he has difficulty now describing what he felt at the time that he painted this scene.

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An interesting division occurred at San Ildefonso around 1920 resulting in a split which was primarily of a religious nature, but family dissensions also were involved. The result was one faction remaining in the North side and the other on the South side near the round kiva. As a result, San Ildefonso is described as the North and South Sides, instead of the traditional Winter and Summer moieties.  Edelman and Gile 1975

The Corn Dance is often the principal dance of the pueblo ceremonies. The people from the North Side and those from the South Side form two different dance teams which then alternate dancing, then returning to their own kivas between dances.

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Zuni Pueblo is the only pueblo that made pottery drum jars.  Generally, they are large and slipped overall in white clay and have the most minimal decoration.  A wet skin is placed over the opening and tied around the lip of the jar.  When the skin dries, it shrinks and becomes taut and the jar can then serve as a drum.

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Painted and unpainted drums of all sizes are used in pueblo ceremonies. The drum suggests the thunder that comes with rain. The drum has two heads. Pueblo songs are written to start slowly and then go to a climax. At a certain point of the song, the drum is flipped over to achieve a higher beat. This lifts the dancers and gives them the impetus to continue dancing.

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The ceramics of Rick Dillingham (1952-1994) never ceased to surprise and amaze his dedicated collector admirers.  As soon as one was satisfied that he or she knew what to expect from Dillingham, he produced another unique pottery form.  Dillingham was known for his globular jars which he then broke and then reassembled as a conservator would do to prehistoric pottery shards. Then, around 1989-1990, he produced "gas cans."  His gas cans were architectural masterpieces based on, what else, architecture.

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This collection of miniature baskets was assembled in the 1960s by a client from the Midwest.  The collection represents weavers from Tohono O'odham, Akimel O'odham and Pomo tribes.  The collection is being offered as a group for the stated price, which, it has been determined, is well below market value. 

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Elizabeth White (1892-1990) Polingaysi Qöyawayma was the only Hopi potter who used her creativity to make pottery wind chimes, of which I am aware.  I have seen simple ones by her in the past, but never have I seen such a large one as this Mudhead Katsina production.  It unfortunately fell from its hanging strap in the past and the body developed cracks and a small chip broke out of the bottom rim.  It is still a formidable figure and a most collectible one from a major Hopi potter. 

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Wanda Aragon is perhaps the earliest Acoma Pueblo potter making exquisite miniature pottery vessels. She has been working in miniature for many years. Her jars, measuring two inches or less, are formed to perfection and painted inunbelievable precision. This small jar is testimony to her talent. It could not be more perfect in shape and design.

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Santana is best remembered as a collaborator with Maria Martinez, painting the designs on Maria's pottery after Julian passed away.  Santana and Adam also collaborated on pottery.  Santana made the pottery and Adam painted the designs.  Adam also did the firing of their pottery.  Adam surely was the one who gathered the clay for Santana and she most likely did all the clay processing.

Santana did not put Adam's name on their pottery in the early days but, then, someone said they saw a Santo Domingo jar with the name Santana on it, so Santana decided to add Adam's name to prevent confusion between their work and the work at Santo Domingo Pueblo.

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Winfield Humeyestewa is from the Hopi village of Mishongnovi on Second Mesa. He learned to make jewelry at the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild. The Guild was founded after World War II by artist Fred Kabotie to help unemployed veterans learn the art of silverwork.

This piece has traditional Hopi water and cloud symbols which are cut into one piece of silver and then overlaid onto another. It is an extremely good example of Hopi overlay work.

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Special Value Offer: The owner has suggested we offer this at $11,900, 15% less than the previously posted price of $14,000.

Well-crafted and beautifully-decorated pottery has always been part of the pueblo aesthetic.  It was not until the late 19th century that potters started adhering to the unfamiliar tastes of the Western eye.  It was of necessity to do this in order to make a sale.  This has not changed even today.  Potters produce what they know will sell to the non-Indian market.

This dough bowl, however, speaks loudly of the pueblo aesthetic.  It was made for, designed by and used by a pueblo potter.  It was made in the vessel shape that was needed for a particular use and designed with a traditional Kewa Pueblo design which could have been passed down in the same family of potters for decades.  It is because of these reasons that this bowl becomes such a collectible treasure.  It was beautifully shaped and expertly painted.  It is possible that it may have been used for several decades before leaving the pueblo.

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Painting Their WorldAdobe Gallery displays an unusual collection of San Ildefonso paintings from the 20th century

February 27, 2017 by Emily Van Cleve 

When Esther Hoyt arrived at San Ildefonso Pueblo in 1900 to work as an elementary school teacher, there were 138 Tewa-speaking Native American members of the community. Hoyt, going against U.S. governmental policy of discouraging children from artistic expression of their culture, provided the approximately 18 students in her class with watercolor paints and paper and asked them paint pictures of Pueblo ceremonial dances. She taught at the school until 1907.

Many of Hoyt's students grew up to become artists and inspired subsequent generations of San Ildefonso painters. "These students were producing a new art for a new market based on what had, until that time, been a Pueblo tradition of painting for ceremonial purposes, such as on kiva walls, and not for public use," explains Adobe Gallery owner Alexander E. Anthony, Jr.

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This pottery jar was not signed by the potter but it was purchased by the current owner at the Museum of Northern Arizona annual Hopi Show on July 2, 1964.  All items at that annual show have a tag with the potter's name and any other specifics, however, the owner does not have the tag but does had a receipt from the museum with the potter's name, so there is no question that it was made by Emogene Lomakema in 1964.

Emogene Lomakema (1901-1999*) was a resident of the village of Walpi, at the far tip of First Mesa on the Hopi Reservation. She has been extensively collected by the Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff. She had a long and successful life and was a favorite of collectors. She was not active later in her life so there is very little of her pottery seen on the market today.

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Like many of his San Ildefonso contemporaries, Julian Martinez's most common subject was the pueblo dancer.  Martinez usually painted single figure scenes, using outlines that were thinner than those preferred by his peers.  The most noteworthy characteristic of his paintings is his striking use of color-Martinez's compositions are anchored by simple, beautiful watercolors that remain full of life almost 100 years after being put to paper. 
 
This piece is unusual in that its subject is not a pueblo dancer, but an encounter between a skunk and a bison.  The scene is at once intense and playful.  The skunk, mouth agape, appears to be backing away from his aggressor.  The wild-eyed bison, leaning back on his hind legs, may be preparing to attack the skunk.  It also may be recoiling in fear of the skunk's spray.  We'll never know which animal prevailed.

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Handmade silver salad service was popular before the Great Depression, but suffered from that time on. Revival of interest caused the Diné to start making them again sometime following World War II.

This silverware set was made from heavy gauge silver, most probably in the 1960s. The tines of the fork and the bowl of the spoon are beautifully stamped, but the true artwork is on the handles, where the artisan expressed his talent. A scallop design enclosed with extremely detailed and delicate fine line stamping on the lower portion of the handles was expertly executed.  Beautiful blue domed turquoise cabs were placed on the handles.

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At first glance, it appears that the silver is applied in an overlay technique with the upper layer having been cut out for placing the turquoise stones, but closer examination reveals that the silver is one layer and the areas for the stones were routed out of the silver so the bezels holding the stones sit in a depression.  Eight beautiful blue turquoise stones surround a larger blue stone.  

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