It is not often that we see such a large plate by Susana Aguilar.  This is a striking piece of her pottery from the 1920’s.  It is as much an open bowl as a large plate. The front is slipped and highly polished while the back is wet polished.  The design is very intricately painted with a butterfly or moth as the design.  Interestingly, the word for both “moth” and “butterfly” is the same in Tewa (Thanks for the info Russell!!).  The design combines geometric and fine line elements. The butterfly shape can be seen with antennae at the top, the wings at the side.  I took a variety of different angles for the photos to show off both the polish and the design. The plate is signed on the back in clay slip, “Susanna”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

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