WOW!  This is a spectacular large polychrome plate by SaraFina Tafoya.  She was the matriarch of a family of renowned potters,  including her children Margaret Tafoya, Camilio Tafoya, and Christina Naranjo. While she is known for her large vessels, in the 1930’s she created a series of smaller painted and plainware vessels that were signed.  They are unusual and scarce pieces, yet a fascinating part of the history of Santa Clara pottery.  This plate is one of the largest of hers we have had.  It is fully polished on the front and back.  The front is painted with six different colors of clay.  There is a Tewa sun in the center.  It is surrounded by four rainclouds with lightning and four rays of sun emanating out from the sunface.  Each is a different color.  The plate was traditionally fired and there are slight color variations to the surface.  Do you see the black burn mark on the back of the plate?  This was intentional by Sarafina and it brings to mind the story about Sarafina and the marks on her red pottery:

“Sara Fina was often known to say about her own pottery, ‘Nothing is perfect.’ When she was firing a red pot, she would often take a stick and touch it to the vessel, leaving a dark mark. She would say, ‘We are not to have anything that perfect made from clay. Only Some One more powerful than we are can have perfection.’”  —Toni Roller, Born of Fire, 2007

The plate is signed on the back in the clay, “Serafina Santa Clara Pueblo”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is amazing that a plate this size can survive over nearly 100 years and be in such great condition.  I had a museum mount made specifically for this plate, which is included.

Signed, “Serafina”: The Signed Pottery of SaraFina Tafoya