Bean Pot with Ear of Corn Appliqué

Copied Myra Tso Kaye, Bean Pot with Ear of Corn Appliqué, 1988, fired clay with piñon pitch, 10 346 12 in. (27.316.5 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock, 1997.124.158

Artwork Details

Title
Bean Pot with Ear of Corn Appliqué
Date
1988
Dimensions
10 346 12 in. (27.316.5 cm) diam.
Markings
bottom inscribed: Myro Tso
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock
Mediums
Mediums Description
fired clay with piñon pitch
Classifications
Keywords
  • Object — vegetable — corn
Object Number
1997.124.158

Artwork Description

Navajo artist Myra Tso Kaye learned to make pottery from her mother, Faye Tso, who is also represented in this collection (Rosenak, Contemporary American Folk Art: A Collector’s Guide, 1996). Inspired by her mother's work, Kaye decorated this cooking pot with an ear of corn as a symbol of Navajo beliefs and rituals.

Luce Object Quote
"When I work with the yellow and gray clay from Black Mesa, I get a spiritual high, and the high comes only at my mother's house in Tuba City, and only when I'm working in the Navajo Way." Myra Tso Kaye, quoted in Chuck and Jan Rosenak, The People Speak: Navajo Folk Art, 1994