This is a stunning version of Margaret Tafoya’s famous storage jars.  The jar is from the 1970’s and her distinctive storage jar form has a high, round shoulder and this one has a bit of an extended neck. The extended neck is certainly reminiscent of the storage jar shapes of her mother, Sarafina Tafoya.  Margaret always said that making them very round in shape was more difficult than making them narrower.  The entire piece is the fully polished after the bear paws are impressed. The bear paw design tells the story of how a bear led the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  Both the storage jar and the bear paw have become iconic to the work of Margaret Tafoya.  This jar is highly polished and fired a deep black.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Margaret Tafoya”.  The jar is featured in the book, Born of Fire, on p. 103.  Definitely a piece of history!