Naranjo, Nicolasa & Roberta – Bowl with Avanyu and Clouds (1980s)

Nicolasa Naranjo was a daughter of potter Tomasita Tafoya Naranjo and a niece of Margaret Tafoya.  She created a wide variety of pieces over the years of her pottery career, including polychrome pieces as well as black-on-black pottery.  In the 1980s and ’90s, she was often helped by her daughter, Roberta Naranjo (1946-2001).  This bowl is round and painted with a cloud design around the rim.  Around the shoulder is a water serpent (avanyu) encircling the piece.  It was fired a dark black.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Nicolasa + Roberta”.