Tafoya, Margaret – Large Bear Paw Plate (1960’s), BOF p. 77

14.75" diameter x 3"deep

$ 8,800.00

This is a striking fully polished plate by Margaret Tafoya.  It is featured in the book, Born of Fire, on page 77.  The plate is impressed with four bear paws in the clay.  It has then been fully polished and fired a dark black.  While her earlier plates from the 1950’s were mostly painted, in the 1960’s she varied the design to include the bear paws.  There is a depth to the plate (3″) which almost makes it as much a large open bowl as a plate.  The size of this plate is unusual for any potter as any plate over twelve inches is often considered a “major piece”.  The bear paw design tells the story of how a bear led the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  The plate is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair and the highly polished surface just seems to glow with the light.  It is signed on the back in the clay.