Lizard Pot

Christine McHorse, Lizard Pot, ca. 1990, pit-fired micaceous clay with piñon pitch, 5 ³⁄₄ x 13 ⁷⁄₈ x 11 ⁷⁄₈ in. (14.6 x 35.2 x 30.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.160

Artwork Details

Title: Lizard Pot
Artist: Christine McHorse
Date: ca. 1990
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 5 ³⁄₄ x 13 ⁷⁄₈ x 11 ⁷⁄₈ in. (14.6 x 35.2 x 30.2 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: clay
Mediums Description: pit-fired micaceous clay with piñon pitch
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Subjects: Animal — reptile — lizard
Object Number: 1997.124.160
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.124.160

Artwork Description

Christine McHorse uses both traditional and contemporary processes for her clay creations. She fired this pot in the old Navajo manner—in an outdoor pit using cottonwood bark for fuel—and coated it with piñon pitch. For other work, she uses an electric kiln because it allows better control and thinner clay walls.

"I feel as Navajo as anyone else—I can make my own taboos and traditions."
—Christine McHorse

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006