Youngblood, Nathan – 14″ Tall Tri-Color Double Avanyu Water Jar

11"w x 14.25"h

$ 24,000.00

This is an exceptional large jar by Nathan Youngblood.  He is well known for his deeply carved pottery and use of both traditional Santa Clara and other designs.  This jar is a stunning shape with a round body, elongated neck and turned out rim. When viewed from a distance the symmetry of the form is especially noticeable.  The neck is carved with a feather pattern. The body of the jar is carved with double avanyu, each with a different style of tongue.  The bodies of the avanyu have cloud and rain motifs.   While the shape, carving, and designing might seem like enough, Nathan also takes his pottery one step further. After it is fired, he uses small screwdrivers and scrapes the sides of the carved designs and the recessed areas, to create a visually striking contrast.  This style has been called, “the new Santa Clara polychrome”, although I usually called it “tri-color” with the variations of red, matte and buff areas. The jar was traditionally fired which creates some variation in the tan areas.  It is signed on the bottom with his name and deer tracks, representing his name in Tewa. The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

“Much of what my grandfather Alcario Tafoya did was bold design work. He didn’t do anything really intricate. Not that he wasn’t capable of it. He kept his designs simple. The designs didn’t have to be detailed and ornate to transfer the thought of what the design meant. The large avanyu, you can tell it’s a large avanyu surrounded by the clouds.” Nathan Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay