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 round shoulder and a short neck. The neck has clouds and rain designs.  The top of the shoulder has a painted avanyu.  Around the sides of the jar are painted feathers.  Near the base are painted rain and cloud 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.