Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery By Belen Tapia

Mid/Late 20th Century

3.625" H x 7.5" D

Hand Coiled from Polychrome Redware with Painted Peach and Cream Colors of an Avanyu Water Serpent

From a Private Colorado Collection

In Good Condition with Scuffed Painted Peach Slip

Belen Tapia (1914–1999) was a renowned potter from Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico, celebrated for her contributions to traditional Pueblo pottery. She was part of a prominent pottery family, as the niece of the legendary Sara Fina Tafoya and first cousin to the famous Margaret Tafoya.

Tapia began making pottery in the 1930s, during the revival of polychrome (multi-colored) styles at Santa Clara. She became known as an innovator in polychrome redware, but by the 1950s, she focused more on carved pottery techniques.