Christine McHorse, Crow Pot, 1991, kiln-fired and pit-fired micaceous clay with pinon pitch, 16 1⁄4 x 12 5⁄8 in. (41.3 x 32.1 cm) diam, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock, 1997.124.159
Copied
Artwork Details
- Title
- Crow Pot
- Artist
- Date
- 1991
- Location
- Dimensions
- 16 1⁄4 x 12 5⁄8 in. (41.3 x 32.1 cm) diam
- Credit Line
- Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- kiln-fired and pit-fired micaceous clay with pinon pitch
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Animal — bird — crow
- Landscape — plant — corn
- Object Number
- 1997.124.159
Artwork Description
Navajo potter Christine McHorse uses sparkling mica clay from the mountains around Taos Pueblo in northern New Mexico. She breaks several Navajo traditions in her work by applying imagery to the clay and firing it in an electric kiln, but believes "I can make my own taboos and traditions" (Rosenak, Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia, 1990). Animals are important in Native American culture, and in these pieces McHorse has incorporated the crow, symbol of the gateway to the supernatural, and the wolf, which Navajos regard as a teacher of wisdom.