Female Figurine with Two Children in Her Arms [R]

It is well known that Helen Cordero made what has now been named the Storyteller figurine in 1964.  Her definition of a storyteller was that it was in honor of her grandfather, a well-known storyteller at Cochiti Pueblo, so it was always a male figurine in Helen's eyes.

Before Helen Cordero's first storyteller, female figurines were made by potters at Cochiti and they have been named Singing Mothers.  In the book The Pueblo Storyteller by Barbara Babcock, there is a Singing Mother figurine which Babcock says pre-dates 1930.  She further states that "The shape of her head and ears and her 'coffee bean' eyes are remarkably similar to figures made by Felipa Trujillo in the 1960s and 1970s."  If this is indeed one made by Felipa Trujillo before 1930, she must be one of the earliest Cochiti potters to do so.

Babcock also states that Trujillo began making storyteller figurines in the mid-1960s.  We know that Cordero made the first one in 1964, so Trujillo must not have been far behind her.  Trujillo was one of the seven artists represented in the Museum of International Folk Art exhibit "What is Folk Art?" in 1973.  It seems fairly obvious that Trujillo was one of the earliest potters to make storyteller figurines.

The signature on this Female Figurine with Two Children in Her Arms has mostly worn off but the letters TR are still visible.  Based on the features of this figurine and on the remaining two letters, we have concluded that this one was made by Felipa Trujillo. 

Condition: original condition

Recommended Reading: The Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition by Barbara Babcock Ph.D.

Provenance: from the collection of a New Mexico resident