WOW!  This is a large and very unusual red storage jar by Margaret Tafoya.  Margaret was famous for her storage jar shape, which she learned to make from her mother, Sarafina Tafoya.  It was a shape that she did not often make, surprisingly, as they were difficult to get the round shoulder and there is a lot of space to polish at one time.  This jar has a high, round shoulder and a short neck.  The entire piece is fully polished and there are three bear paws impressed into the clay.  The bear paws tell the Pueblo story of a bear leading the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  The polished surface has a high shine and the jar is fired a deep red coloration.  Everything about the jar is nearly perfect.  The jar is signed, “Margaret Tafoya” on the bottom in the clay. The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  This jar surprised me by the size and the coloration.  Since writing “Born of Fire” in 2008, I have seen and handled hundreds of pieces by Margaret.  While she made smaller red storage jars, this is one of the only ones I have seen this size in red.  It is testament to her skill that she was able to polish and fired it so perfectly.  It is also a refection of the difficulty in doing so that it is not something you see very often!