Wednesday 14 March 2012

Native American pottery

The other day, I stumbled across this little gem of a pot in a second-hand shop. It was made by the Navajo People - The Diné. It's about 3.5 inches tall and sits in the hands beautifully. I'm guessing the pot was coiled, given the irregular shape of the mouth, though I suppose it could have been cast from a coiled original. If it was coiled, the maker is extremely skilled as it's wafer thin and the inside is perfectly smooth. The outside has been painted, perhaps with terra sigillata, then etched to reveal the lovely warm orange of the clay body.



I was drawn to this piece because I brought back a Navajo bottle vase from the USA when I was on holiday there in 1999. Maybe it says something about modern society that I paid less for this hand-crafted pot than an hour's parking in the town centre.

It's a shame I can't make out all of the signature. If anyone out there knows anything about the artist, I'd be really interested to learn more about her/him.

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