This is a classic water jar with a relief-designed scene by Elizabeth Manygoats.  She is a daughter of noted potter Betty Manygoats.  Elizabeth is known for her folk-art style pottery with figures in relief or applique on the surface.  She says that she often emphasizes Navajo women and their daily lives in her work because “They’re the ones I look up to.”  This jar is coil-built and very thin-walled.  It has a flat shoulder and an extended neck.  On the shoulder of the jar is a girl reading a book and a dog. In relief in the background is Monument Valley along with chickens, clouds, and the sun.  How can you not smile at those chickens!  Below the shoulder in relief are sheep and shrubs. Besides the painted neck, the rest of the jar is the natural clay color.  The various colors are added to highlight the imagery.  The jar is traditionally fired to create variations in color to the clay surface.  After the firing, the entire piece is painted and covered in pine pitch in the manner of traditional Navajo pottery.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “EM”  Elizabeth has won numerous awards for her pottery over the years.  It can also be found in museums throughout the southwest.