Tso, Faye – Large Bean Pot with Corn Design Lid (1990s)

Faye Tso was one of the first Navajo potters to use unconventional imagery in her pottery.  While traditional Navajo pottery has very little decoration, Tso applied images of corn maidens, lizards, and dancers to the surface of the clay.  Her grandson, Jarred Tso, is also an important younger potter who is carrying on this amazing family tradition.  This is an unusual piece.  It is a larger, round bean pot. The bowl is coil-built and round in shape.  It has lid that fits onto the top.  On the top of the lid are four large ears of corn in relief.  Both the lid and the bowl were traditionally fired then covered with pinon pitch.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Faye Tso”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  Definitely a great piece of Navajo pottery history!

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Tso, Faye (1933-2004)

Faye Tso was one of the first Navajo potters to use unconventional imagery in her pottery. Traditional Navajo pottery has very little decoration, but Tso applied images of corn maidens, warriors, and dancers onto the surface of the clay. She was a practicing Navajo herbalist, and her husband and son are both medicine men. The family often uses Tso’s pottery in their ceremonies, because "fire, cloud, and earth are all part of the Navajo way". Her grandson, Jared Tso, is also an important younger potter who is carrying on this amazing family tradition.