This is an unusual shape of jar by Lorraine Williams.  The piece is coil-built with an oval body and a short neck.  The jar has star patterns incised into the clay on each side.  It has a round shoulder and a straight neck. There are handles on each end of the jar.  The unusual part of this piece is the handles.  They are braided and create a very traditional appearance.  The jar was painted with red and black to accentuate the designs and then traditionally fired to create the surface coloration.  After the piece is fired it is covered in pinon-pitch.  The pitch is a reminder of the historic Navajo pottery when it was utilitarian.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “LW”.  Lorraine has won numerous awards for her pottery and has been featured in books such as “A Legacy of Generations”.