This is an exceptionally detailed seedpot by Joseph Lonewolf.  In the early 1970s, he revolutionized the world of Santa Clara pottery by incorporating his sgraffito (lightly etching the surface of the clay) and incised (more deeply cut into the clay) designs.  This seedpot is from 1979 and it is fully designed.  There are 20 different Mimbres fish etched onto the surface of the piece.  Each fish has a different style and different designs etched onto them to represent the scales.  The piece is very highly polished!   The background is etched with vertical lines.  This is a very complex piece relative to the size!  This piece is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It is signed, “Joseph Lonewolf” on the bottom, and dated 1979.  There is the dragonfly yearly symbol near the base.  

“I regard the Mimbres as my ancestors. Though I refine their designs, each design must have meaning for me. In my dreams I see how to use the design, how to make the pot happen. Then when I work the clay, everything flows. Some people wonder why I keep changing styles, colors, forms. But I can’t just sit there and make pots. Like any artist, I must try different things, different techniques. I must meet the challenge with my hands. The patterns and the methods I see in my mind during my dreams.” —Joseph Lonewolf, 1974, Spoken Through Clay

“I regard the Mimbres as my ancestors. Though I refine their designs, each design must have meaning for me. In my dreams I see how to use the design, how to make the pot happen. Then when I work the clay, everything flows. Some people wonder why I keep changing styles, colors, forms. But I can’t just sit there and make pots. Like any artist, I must try different things, different techniques. I must meet the challenge with my hands. The patterns and the methods I see in my mind during my dreams.” —Joseph Lonewolf, 1974, Spoken Through Clay