This is a classic painted miniature jar by Dolores Curran.  Before she began making her carved pieces, she was well known for her delicately painted buff-on-red pottery.  The jar is highly polished red and painted with buff clay for the design.  Amazingly, she would paint each piece up to five times to get the color of the matte-painted areas deep and consistent enough!  This jar has a high shoulder and a short neck.  The top of the neck has an avanyu.  The sides are interlocking old-style butterflies. Near the base are painted prayer feather designs.  For the size of the piece, it is fully designed and amazingly intricate!  Dolores mostly made painted miniatures due to the time-consuming nature of the painting. The jar is signed, “Dolores Curran”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.