This is one of the few plate we have seen by Toni Roller.  She is a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and is known for her classic shapes and exquisite stone polished pottery.   The plate is fully carved with 48 feathers emanating out from a central medallion.  Toni’s feathers are distinctive in style with the straight sides and slight curve at the base.  Over the course of her long career, it has become one of her signature carved designs.  The central medallion has cloud patterns carved into the clay.  The rim and back are also fully polished.  The plate is fired a deep black in coloration.  It is signed on the back in the clay, “Toni Roller”.  Toni has said of her traditional style of pottery:

“It’s important to start from scratch and do it the old way. People should understand how difficult the process is and why it takes so long to make pottery. If you are going to be a potter, you are not going to mind all the hard work involved in gathering the clay and the materials. It’s time-consuming, but in the end you are so happy to have this clay that just started as chunks in rock form. Then, coming out with the beautiful final pieces of pottery. How did it come about? With your hands and patience. That is such a good feeling.” Toni Roller, Spoken Through Clay