Navajo Pine Pitched Pottery By Lorenzo Spencer and Juanita Chee

ca. 1995

7.5 " H x 8" D

Hand Coiled and Stone Polished for a Smooth Finish and Fired Outdoors Second Row - Etched Brown Ware Surface

From a Private Colorado Collection

In Very Good Condition with Surface Scrape at the Base 

Lorenzo Spencer is a well-documented Navajo potter from the Cow Springs area on the Navajo Nation. He creates both traditional and contemporary hand-coiled pottery, often with his family (his wife is Susie Crank, daughter of potter Rose Williams). His work is featured on sites dedicated to Native American pottery, including examples of polished and sometimes pitch-finished pieces.

A coating of piñon pine pitch (sap from piñon pine trees, melted and applied hot) seals the porous clay, gives it a glossy, dark sheen, makes it waterproof (historically for holding water or storing food), and adds a distinctive rich brown or blackish tone.