WOW!  This is an amazingly intricate seedpot by Joseph Lonewolf.  It was made in 1989.  The piece is coil built and stone polished. The design is etched into the clay.  There is a standing realistic fawn on one side surrounded by a blue clay slip.  There are red, blue, white, yellow, and green clay slips used to highlight this piece.  Take a closer look at the green plants in front of the fawn and note how they are in relief compared to the surrounding designs!  Surrounding the fawn are 20 small butterflies also highlighted in blue. On the back is a doe and her fawn lightly etched into the clay. They are surrounded by 19 more very tiny etched butterflies!  There are additional four butterflies that are etched into the clay in various places and highlighted in blue.  Check out the double butterflies with rainbows above and below them.  There are also five realistic eagle feathers as part of the design.   Near the base is the 1989 yearly symbol, an ankh, an ancient Egyptian symbol of life.  Each year Joseph would create a new “yearly symbol” and use it to “date” his pieces for that year.  Beginning in the early 1970s, Joseph Lonewolf 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.  The piece is signed on the bottom.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Deciphered: The Yearly Symbols of Joseph Lonewolf