Crow Pot

Christine McHorse, Crow Pot, 1991, kiln-fired and pit-fired micaceous clay with pinon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock, 1997.124.159
Christine McHorse, Crow Pot, 1991, kiln-fired and pit-fired micaceous clay with pinon pitch, 16 1412 58 in. (41.332.1 cm) diam, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock, 1997.124.159

Artwork Details

Title
Crow Pot
Date
1991
Dimensions
16 1412 58 in. (41.332.1 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
  • Landscape — plant — corn
  • Animal — bird — crow
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.

Works by this artist (7 items)

I. Rice Pereira, Roselit Day, 1953, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Leslie Bokor, 1973.190
Roselit Day
Date1953
oil on canvas
On view
I. Rice Pereira, Untitled (Boats at Cape Cod), 1932, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Djelloul Marbrook, 1988.80
Untitled (Boats at Cape Cod)
Date1932
oil on canvas
Not on view
I. Rice Pereira, Sketch for Machine Composition #2, ca. 1936, pencil and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.73
Sketch for Machine Composition #2
Dateca. 1936
pencil and crayon on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Bently
Dateca. 1975
gelatin silver print
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Lure of the Sea
Dateca. 1975
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.9
Untitled
Dateca. 1945-1950
gelatin silver print
Not on view