Pot with Figurative Decoration

Faye Tso, Pot with Figurative Decoration, ca. 1992, fired clay with piñon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.178
Faye Tso, Pot with Figurative Decoration, ca. 1992, fired clay with piñon pitch, 20 5⁄8 x 15 5⁄8 in. (52.4 x 39.7 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.178

Artwork Details

Title
Pot with Figurative Decoration
Artist
Date
ca. 1992
Location
Dimensions
20 5⁄8 x 15 5⁄8 in. (52.4 x 39.7 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
fired clay with piñon pitch
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — male
  • Indian — Navajo
  • Dress — Indian dress
Object Number
1997.124.178
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.124.178

Artwork Description

Faye Tso decorates many of her pieces with Ye’i (deity figures), corn maidens, and ceremonial scenes to express Navajo beliefs and rituals. She experiments with different clay slips, and often applies the dung of sheep, goats, and cattle to the clay during the firing process (Chuck and Jan Rosenak, The People Speak: Navajo Folk Art, 1994). This changes the color of the clay from a golden orange to a deep brown or black.

Works by this artist (5 items)

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Jean Carlu, Repaying Nature's Riches, from the Early Series, 1941, gouache on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.47
Repaying Nature’s Riches, from the Early Series
Artist
Date1941
gouache on paperboard
Not on view
Jean Carlu, In One Organization, from the Early Series, 1942, gouache on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.45
In One Organization, from the Early Series
Artist
Date1942
gouache on paperboard
Not on view
Jean Carlu, Gift Packages for Hitler!, from the Early Series, 1942, gouache and gelatin silver print collage on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.44
Gift Packages for Hitler!, from the Early Series
Artist
Date1942
gouache and gelatin silver print collage on paper
Not on view
Jean Carlu, New Skills from War, from the Early Series, 1943, gouache on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.46
New Skills from War, from the Early Series
Artist
Date1943
gouache on paperboard
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Gertrude Beals Bourne, New York City--East River, 1924, gouache and charcoal on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Philip W. Bourne, 1982.44.2
New York City – East River
Artist
Date1924
gouache and charcoal on paper
Not on view
Hannah Moscon, Skirmish, ca.1954, gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Michael J. Ettner, 2021.88.213
Skirmish
Artist
Dateca.1954
gouache on paper
Not on view
Herbert Bayer, Destiny of an Old Directory, from the Early Series, 1939, gouache and gelatin silver print on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.14
Destiny of an Old Directory, from the Early Series
Artist
Date1939
gouache and gelatin silver print on paperboard
Not on view
Alice Pike Barney, Self Portrait in 1924, 1924, pastel and gouache on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1951.14.91
Self Portrait in 1924
Artist
Date1924
pastel and gouache on fiberboard
Not on view