Angela Baca was famous for her carved melon bowls.  However, this is one of her few jar with a bear paw.  The bear paw is a classic design in Santa Clara pottery Angela’s is distinctive with a longer center mark than that of her mother, Severa Tafoya.  I have to admit, I thought I had had several of her bear paw vessels come through the gallery over the years, and yet, this is the only one!  It is highly polished and was fired a deep black coloraiton.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Angela Baca” and it is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.