$180.00
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Mid/Late 20th Century
3.5" H x 4.125" D
Hand Coiled Black on Black Vase with Glossy and Matte Geometric Design
In Very Good Condition with Light Wear
Cresencia Tafoya (1918–1999) was a respected potter from Santa Clara Pueblo (Kha'p'o Owingeh) in New Mexico, known especially for her traditional black-on-black pottery. She belonged to a prominent Tafoya family pottery lineage and helped carry forward ancient coil-building and firing techniques while developing her own refined style.
Born during the 1918 flu pandemic as the second of 11 children to Tomasita (or Tomacita) Gutierrez Tafoya and Cruz Tafoya, Cresencia grew up in a pottery-making household. Her maternal grandmother, Pasqualita Tani Gutierrez Tafoya, connected her to the influential Tafoya pottery dynasty (related to figures like Serafina Tafoya). She married and raised six children—Harriet Tafoya, Annie Baca, Pauline Martinez, Arthur Tafoya, Carmen Michel, and Mark Tafoya—whom she taught traditional methods. Many of her children continued the tradition, building on her highly polished and tightly painted approach.
She began producing pottery independently around 1940 and was active during the mid-20th century heyday of Pueblo pottery revival (post-WWII through the late 1900s). She exhibited at the Santa Fe Indian Market (1978–1989) and the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show, winning numerous awards.
Condition:
Very Good
Tribe:
Santa Clara
Year Range:
1950 - 1975
Region:
Southwest
Dimensions:
3.5 in4.13 in
Category:
Pottery Bowls and Jars Post 1940
