This a very detailed seedpot by Joseph Lonewolf.  It is from 1989, and it is highly polished and fired red.  On the top is a realistic butterfly that is etched into the clay.  On the sides are four additional Mimbres butterflies.  The wings are all highlighted with various clay slips.  Note the colors from red, pink, white, and green.  Near the base is one more realistic butterfly etched into the clay.  The 1989 yearly symbol is the “Ankh”.  The piece is very highly polished and intricately designed.  It is signed on the bottom, “Joseph Lonewolf”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair. 

Joseph Lonewolf said of his use of Mimbres imagery in his pottery:

“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