Medicine Flower, Grace - Multi-Color Jar with Hummingbirds, Feathers, and Flower Carved Neck and Lid (1982)
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Medicine Flower, Grace – Multi-Color Jar with Hummingbirds, Feathers, and Flower Carved Neck and Lid (1982)

3"w x 6"h (w/ lid)

$ 2,000.00

This tall, long-neck jar by Grace Medicine Flower is from 1982.  She remains renowned for her creative pottery.  This jar is an early stage of her combining carved and etched areas in pottery, and it is spectacular!  The body of the jar is round and fully polished.  It is VERY tightly etched with a hummingbird medallion surrounded by feathers.  Next to the medallion is a hummingbird with butterflies.  The opposite side has etched interlocking clouds.  The neck of the jar is what is so spectacular!  It is carved with flower petals, which are left matte.  They extend up to the carved lid, and the top of the lid is polished.  Note as well the use of the blue, green, and white clay slips to accentuate the hummingbirds.  This is from a brief period when Grace had colorful clays given to her by her brother, Joseph Lonewolf.  Once they were gone, she did not continue to add color to her work until the 2000s.  I’m always amazed that Grace would take so much time and thought to create so many levels of color and design!  The lid fits perfectly into the jar.  The piece is very highly polished and tightly etched. Interestingly, Grace would always etch her pottery before her work was fired.  Note the contrast of both matte and polished surfaces, along with the various depths of etching!  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicine Flower”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

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Brand:Medicine Flower, Grace (b. 1938)

This tall, long-neck jar by Grace Medicine Flower is from 1982.  She remains renowned for her creative pottery.  This jar is an early stage of her combining carved and etched areas in pottery, and it is spectacular!  The body of the jar is round and fully polished.  It is VERY tightly etched with a hummingbird medallion surrounded by feathers.  Next to the medallion is a hummingbird with butterflies.  The opposite side has etched interlocking clouds.  The neck of the jar is what is so spectacular!  It is carved with flower petals, which are left matte.  They extend up to the carved lid, and the top of the lid is polished.  Note as well the use of the blue, green, and white clay slips to accentuate the hummingbirds.  This is from a brief period when Grace had colorful clays given to her by her brother, Joseph Lonewolf.  Once they were gone, she did not continue to add color to her work until the 2000s.  I”m always amazed that Grace would take so much time and thought to create so many levels of color and design!  The lid fits perfectly into the jar.  The piece is very highly polished and tightly etched. Interestingly, Grace would always etch her pottery before her work was fired.  Note the contrast of both matte and polished surfaces, along with the various depths of etching!  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Grace Medicine Flower”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

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Medicine Flower, Grace (b. 1938)

Grace Medicine FlowerGrace Medicine Flower

Grace Medicine Flower

Her name alone describes her work and her persona - Grace. Grace Medicine Flower (b.1938) is an elegant beauty among Santa Clara potters, who continues to be one of the most innovative and influential potters working today. Her intricately designed butterflies and hummingbirds remind the viewer of our delicate relationship with nature. Each piece reflects her connection to the earth, the Clay Lady, and the tradition and history of the Santa Clara Pueblo. As a child, Grace was surrounded by potters such as her mother Agapita, her father Camilio Tafoya, and her aunt, Margaret Tafoya. She began to work in clay, making traditionally styled pottery. In the late 1960s, Grace and her brother Joseph were among the first on Santa Clara to start using the sgraffito technique to carve their designs into the clay. Amazingly, Grace uses a knife or a specially sharpened nail to cut and create her masterpieces. Grace recounts how her first piece of sgraffito pottery sold for $11.00, much more than her other traditional pieces. Her early pieces were signed, “Grace Hoover,” then signed with “Grace" and a four-petal flower. Today, she signs her work, “Grace Medicine Flower,” with a flower beneath her name. All of her work is made in the traditional coil method and then fired outdoors. Grace Medicine Flower has had significant recognition for her innovation throughout her career. Jackie Kennedy-Onassis visited her; she was invited to the White House and had pieces in collections and museums worldwide. In the 1970s, Grace and Joseph were honored with the New Mexico Medal of Honor for contributing to Santa Clara Pueblo. In addition to these honors, Grace has won significant awards at Gallup Ceremonials and other events. Grace’s work moved from small round seed pots with incised animal designs to larger bowls, which combine deep carving with intricately engraved sections. Her “basket weave” bowls give the effect of an exposed basket lying just underneath the surface of the clay. To say that Grace Medicine Flower has changed the face of Pueblo pottery would not be an understatement. To own one of her pieces is to own a part of history. While she produced less than 15 pieces a year, the demand among collectors for her pieces continued to rise with each new year and modern innovation.
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