Santo Domingo Pueblo Pottery Group | Turkey Effigy Bank, Shoe & Pitcher

Native American, Santo Domingo Pueblo (Kewa). Three hand-built Pueblo earthenware pieces are offered together: a pitcher, a shoe-form effigy vessel, and a seated turkey effigy. Each is covered in a pale cream slip and painted in dense black. The pitcher has a flared, pinched rim, a strap handle, and a globular body. Its body carries bold triangles, wedges, and a band of scallops. The unslipped orange clay shows inside the mouth. The turkey is round-bellied, with a raised head, stubby wings, and a fanned tail. Its back is painted with fine overlapping scales of plumage, and a zigzag band runs around the base. A slot in its side suggests it was possibly made as a bank. The shoe has a pointed, upturned toe and is painted with arcs and bands. Its toe and heel panels are washed in warm orange. All three were likely made for sale to visitors rather than for household use. Santo Domingo Pueblo, known in its own Keresan language as Kewa, sits on the Rio Grande between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The pueblo has long been known for its pottery, which is painted in strong black geometric designs on a cream or buff slip. Traditional Santo Domingo ware for use within the community generally avoided showing people and animals. Small figural pieces such as birds and effigies were made more freely for outside buyers. From the late nineteenth century, the railroad brought a steady stream of travelers to New Mexico. Pueblo potters responded with small, portable forms that were easy to carry home. Pitchers modeled on Anglo-American tableware, animal figures, and shoe- or boot-form vessels were all made at Rio Grande pueblos in this period. The shoe form may have been inspired by the ceramic slipper novelties popular in Victorian homes. These pieces translate familiar outside shapes into the visual language of the Pueblo painter. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 206008

Estimate:$250

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