This is an extraordinary box by Dolores Curran.  She continues to create intricately incised and painted pottery.  This piece combines both the incised polychrome pottery inspired by her late husband, Alvin Curran, and her delicately painted buff-on-red style. The painted areas of the box are amazingly time consuming, as everything has to  be repainted at least four times for the color to appear solid!  The outside of the box is fully polished and has a butterfly pattern surrounded by cloud, rain and feather designs.  Note the very tiny but very intricately painted rain clouds!  The top of the box has an incised polychrome avanyu and the remainder is polished and painted.  The rim of the lid has a feather pattern separated by a mountain and rain design.  The center of the box is a fully polished bear.  The area around the bear is also fully painted with rain designs.  Again, on the bear, note the tiny heartline!  The heartline signifies the center of the bear and its healing strength.  The “surprise” of the box is the inside of the lid, which is fully incised and painted with various clay slips.  Note the depth of the incised designs on the butterfly and the swirl of the outside pattern.  It is simply extraordinary  detail and imagery!  The box is signed on the bottom in the clay.