Jemez Pueblo Storyteller Pottery By Priscilla Puebla

ca. 1980s

3.25" H x 3.3125" L x 1.75" W

Hand Built from Clay of a Sitting Adult with her Mouth open and 3 Children on Her Lap

From a Private Colorado Collection

In Very Good Condition

Jemez Pueblo (Walatowa) in New Mexico is well-known for its vibrant storyteller pottery figures, a figurative ceramic tradition popularized in the 1960s by Cochiti Pueblo artist Helen Cordero. These pieces typically depict a seated adult figure (often a grandmother or mother) with an open mouth as if singing or telling stories, surrounded by multiple smaller child figures clinging to her lap, arms, shoulders, or back. The style spread to other Pueblos, including Jemez, where potters hand-coil the clay, apply natural slips and paints (often in earth tones, turquoise accents, or traditional patterns), and fire the pieces in outdoor kilns.