Seferina Ortiz was the matriarch of a family of renowned potters, including Virgil Ortiz, Janice Ortiz, Inez Ortiz, and Lisa Holt. This is one of her larger traditional storyteller figures.  The mother is holding seventeen children.   Each one is in a different position and they are on the front, back, and top of the figure.  She is slipped with white clay and then painted with a red clay slip and wild spinach (black).  The piece is signed on the bottom, “Seferina Ortiz”.  It was traditionally fired and in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It’s not often that Seferina made such large pieces and we don’t see them come back on the market often.  This is definitely a classic figure by this historically important potter!