This is is a large and classic bowl by Camilio “Sunflower” Tafoya.  He was the father of Grace Medicine Flower and Joseph Lonewolf and the brother of Margaret Tafoya.  While he is known for his miniatures this one of his larger carved bowls from the 1960’s.  The bowl is fully polished and carved with a feather pattern.  The spectacular part of this bowl is the coloration from the firing. It ranges from dark black to areas with brown and even a section that is almost silver in appearance. That coloration is very reminiscent of the firings by his mother, Sara Fina Tafoya.  The brown seems to make it’s own designs as it flows with the black and it certainly creates a much stronger and more fascinating bowl.  It is not often we see his larger carved vessels and rarely with such a great polish and surface.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  There are some light surface scratches.  It is signed on the bottom.