Naranjo, Nicolasa & Roberta – Tall Wedding Vase with Bear Paws (1980s)

Nicolasa Naranjo was a daughter of potter Tomasita Tafoya Naranjo and a niece of Margaret Tafoya.  She created a wide variety of pieces over the years of her pottery career, including polychrome pieces as well as black-on-black pottery.  In the 1980s and ’90s, she was often helped by her daughter, Roberta Naranjo (1946-2001).  This large wedding vase is fully polished and has a carved bear paw on each side. The bear paws are a symbol of good luck, telling the story of a bear leading the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  It was fired a dark black.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Nicolasa + Roberta”.

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Naranjo, Nicolasa (1907-2002)

Nicolasa Naranjo was a daughter of potter Tomasita Tafoya Naranjo and a niece of Margaret Tafoya. It was Tomasita who taught Margaret how to make pottery. Nicolasa was known for her larger pottery, painted in the classic black-on-black style.