Native American Vintage Red on Black Hopi Pottery Jar, by Laura Tomosie, Ca 1968, #1159 Sold

$ 1,200.00

Native American

Vintage Hope Red on Black Hopi Pottery Jar, by Laura Tomosie, Ca 1968, #1159

Description: #1159 Native American Vintage Hope Red on Black Hopi Pottery Jar, by Laura Tomosie, Ca 1968, bowl made and signed by Laura Tomosie. This bowl won first place at the Arizona State Fair in 1968, and the ribbon is included. Wonderful geometric designs, color, and condition. Excellent

Dimensions: 6 1/2" by 5 1/2"

Condition: Excellent for age.

Laura Tomosie (1907-1977)

It appears that Laura Chapella Tomosie, Hopi/Tewa, was potting as early as the 1930's. The Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff has a number of her pieces in its collection, most of which were accessioned between 1959 and 1970. She did not speak English. She negotiated with buyers by raising fingers to indicate the price of an object. Laura was known for her black and red on yellow jars and bowls, redware bowls, bowls with handles, tiles, ladles, and miniature bowls from 1930's to 1968. Laura was the daughter of Poui and Toby White; sister of Mihpi Toby, Grace Chapella, Dalee and Bert Youvella.

Reference: Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf. (Source: Adobe Gallery)

Some background on Pueblo pottery making follows:

“Pueblo pottery is made using a coiled technique that came into northern Arizona and New Mexico from the south, some 1500 years ago. In the four-corners region of the US, nineteen pueblos and villages have historically produced pottery. Although each of these pueblos use similar traditional methods of coiling, shaping, finishing and firing, the pottery from each is distinctive.

Various clay's gathered from each pueblo’s local sources produce pottery colors that range from buff to earthy yellows, oranges, and reds, as well as black. Fired pots are sometimes left plain and other times decorated—most frequently with paint and occasionally with applique. Painted designs vary from pueblo to pueblo, yet share an ancient iconography based on abstract representations of clouds, rain, feathers, birds, plants, animals and other natural world features.

Tempering materials and paints, also from natural sources, contribute further to the distinctiveness of each pueblo’s pottery. Some paints are derived from plants, others from minerals. Before firing, potters in some pueblos apply a light colored slip to their pottery, which creates a bright background for painted designs or simply a lighter color plain ware vessel. Designs are painted on before firing, traditionally with a brush fashioned from yucca fiber.

Different combinations of paint color, clay color, and slips are characteristic of different pueblos. Among them are black on cream, black on buff, black on red, dark brown and dark red on white (as found in Zuni pottery), matte red on red, and poly-chrome—a number of natural colors on one vessel (most typically associated with Hopi). Pueblo potters also produce un-decorated polished black ware, black on black ware, and carved red and carved black wares.

Making pueblo pottery is a time-consuming effort that includes gathering and preparing the clay, building and shaping the coiled pot, gathering plants to make the colored dyes, constructing yucca brushes, and, often, making a clay slip. While some Pueblo artists fire in kilns, most still fire in the traditional way in an outside fire pit, covering their vessels with large potsherds and dried sheep dung. Pottery is left to bake for many hours, producing a high-fired result.

Today, Pueblo potters continue to honor this centuries-old tradition of hand-coiled pottery production, yet value the need for contemporary artistic expression as well. They continue to improve their style, methods and designs, often combining traditional and contemporary techniques to create striking new works of art.” (Source: Museum of Northern Arizona)

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