$575.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
ca 1970
10.5" x 6.75"
A wonderful wedding jar with bird motif. Light surface wear typical with age.
Very Good Condition
Ethel Marie Shields (1926–2021) was a renowned Acoma Pueblo potter from the Yellow Corn Clan, born in Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico. She began making pottery in 1938, learning traditional hand-coiling techniques from her mother, Dolores S. Sanchez (1888–1991), and was active for over seven decades. Shields was known for her traditional polychrome and Mimbres Revival jars, bowls, effigy pots, canteens, storytellers, nativity sets, pottery figures, Christmas ornaments, and miniatures, often featuring designs like turtles, birds, snakes, human figures, corn, and fine lines. Her work, inspired by ancient Anasazi and Tularosa designs, included whimsical effigies like ducks, turtles, and pigs, as well as nativity sets that gained her widespread recognition.
The granddaughter of Josephita and Joe A. Sandoval, Shields was the sister of Katherine Lewis and Marie S. Juanico, aunt of Judy Lewis, and mother of eight children, including potters Charmae Natseway and Chris Shields. She was married to jeweler Don Shields and was the mother-in-law of potters Judy Shields, Verda Mae Shields, and Thomas Natseway, whom she taught traditional pottery techniques. Shields attended Albuquerque Indian School and sold her first pieces around 1938, often at roadside stands along Route 66 with her mother in the 1940s. After living in Tucson for 12 years, where she worked at the Indian Center, she returned to Acoma and began creating nativity sets and storytellers, inspired by a trip to Mesa Verde.
Her pottery earned numerous awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market starting in the early 1980s and is featured in collections like the Smithsonian and the University of Missouri’s Museum of Anthropology. Shields’ work is celebrated for its traditional craftsmanship and cultural significance. She passed away on October 16, 2021, at age 95, leaving a legacy as a matriarch of Acoma pottery.
Condition:
Very Good
Tribe:
Acoma
Year Range:
1950 - 1975
Region:
Southwest
Dimensions:
10.5 in6.75 in
Category:
Pottery Bowls and Jars Post 1940
