Santa Clara Pueblo Black Jar By Belen Tapia

ca.1970

7.5" H x 7" D

Hand Crafted Jar has a “storage jar” Shape with a Round Body and Short Neck. The Neck is Fully Polished and the Jar itself is Largely Painted with Abstract Feathers and Mountain/Cloud Motif Patterns with a Fine Polish and Strong Paint  The Piece is Fully Polished and Traditionally Fired a Deep Black Coloration and is Signed on the Bottom in the Clay, “Belen T"

In Very Good Condition

Belen Tapia was Sara Fina’s niece and Margaret Tafoya’s first cousin. She is certainly one of the first to develop this style polychrome painting, using pastel colors made from nature’s materials. Belen Tapia was a diverse potter creating everything from painted to carved pottery. Belen uses the negative space of the unpainted area to create and accentuate her designs. This makes her work both distinctive and unique, as most potters of the time the motif primarily, rather than the field.