This is a striking early bowl by Tonita Roybal.  It is from the early 1920’s.  The bowl is one of her classic shapes with a very low, sharp shoulder.  The entire piece is fully polished and painted with a lightning pattern.  What’s interesting about this design is that each section of design is not connected and it has a very “art deco” appearance. The actual imagery is very reminiscent of Ancestral Puebloan pottery patterns, but the placement is very sophisticated.  The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tonita”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.