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Silas and Bertha Claw were of the Shonto/Cow Springs region of the Navajo Reservation. Silas passed away in 2002 but there is no record of Bertha passing away so it is assumed she is still alive. Around 1968, Silas began working in clay even though pottery making, like basket making, was considered women's work. Bertha assisted him from the very beginning. The Claws made a variety of pottery shapes: traditional-style cooking jars, wedding vases, triple-spouted jars, and ceramic beads.

It is not known which one did which part of the production but it is believed Bertha would form the vessels and Silas would decorate them with a variety of appliquéd and incised plant and animal motifs-usually in high relief and occasionally in full round. These motifs depict a wide range of subjects that includes cactus plants and blooming yuccas, oak leaves with acorns, ears of corn, a menagerie of domestic animals, and horned toads. Silas often applied oil paint in a range of colors to portions of the appliqués to make them even more realistic. He then would coat the vessel with varnish.

This vessel features two horned toads on opposing sides and two colorful and blooming cacti on opposing sides. The vessel was coated in varnish after completion and signed on the underside with the joint signature S. B. Claw.

Condition: original condition
Provenance: from the collection of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, renowned collectors and authors of Navajo Folk Art.
Recommended Reading:
- Navajo Folk Art: The People Speak by Chuck and Jan Rosenak.
- The Navajo Pottery of Silas and Bertha Claw by Ed Dobbins and Scott C. Russell, American Indian Art Magazine, Spring 2007. Vol. 32, No. 2.

Title: Diné (Navajo) Wedding Vessel with Appliqué Design of toads and cacti
Potters: Silas and Bertha Claw
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 6-3/4" tall x 4-3/4" diameter
Item # 25604