Tse-Pe & Dora – Black & Sienna Bowl with Bear and Silver Lid (1978)

3"w x 3"h (w/o lid) 5"h (w/ lid)

$ 1,400.00

Tse-Pe Gonzales and his wife, Dora, began working together around 1971.  Dora would make the pottery and Tse-Pe would etch the designs. This jar is a classic piece of their pottery.  The bowl is fully polished and there is a medallion of design on one side. The design is a bear and sun etched into the clay. The area is two-toned sienna.  The medallion is surrounded by an inset band of turquoise hei-shi beads.  The bowl has a sterling silver lid made by Tse-Pe.  The finial of the lid is in the shape of a squash blossom with a shadowbox inset turquoise.  The lid fits perfectly into the bowl.  The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay “Tse-Pe and Dora”.    It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair and a slight area of discoloration on the rim.   Tse-Pe and Dora worked individually from 1980 to 2000, but their early collaborative work remains innovative, creative, and of the highest quality even compared to many of today’s potters.