Pot with Dancers with Headdresses and Rattles

Faye Tso, Pot with Dancers with Headdresses and Rattles, ca. 1985, fired clay with piñon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.177
Faye Tso, Pot with Dancers with Headdresses and Rattles, ca. 1985, fired clay with piñon pitch, 2218 7818 12 in. (55.947.947.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.177

Artwork Details

Title
Pot with Dancers with Headdresses and Rattles
Artist
Date
ca. 1985
Dimensions
2218 7818 12 in. (55.947.947.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums Description
fired clay with piñon pitch
Classifications
Subjects
  • Indian — Navajo
  • Dress — Indian dress
  • Ceremony — dance
  • Ceremony — Indian
  • Figure group — male
Object Number
1997.124.177

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 (4 items)

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
Pot with Figurative Decoration
Dateca. 1992
fired clay with piñon pitch
On view
Faye Tso, Bean Pot with Incised Corn Maiden Figures, 1987, fired clay with piñon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.176
Bean Pot with Incised Corn Maiden Figures
Date1987
fired clay with piñon pitch
On view
Faye Tso, Pot with Dancers with Headdresses and Rattles, ca. 1985, fired clay with piñon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.177
Pot with Dancers with Headdresses and Rattles
Dateca. 1985
fired clay with piñon pitch
On view
Faye Tso, Head of Emmett, ca. 1985, fired clay with piñon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.175
Head of Emmett
Dateca. 1985
fired clay with piñon pitch
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Louis Naranjo, Storyteller #1, November 14, 1987, fired clay, slip and beeweed, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.166
Storyteller #1
DateNovember 14, 1987
fired clay, slip and beeweed
On view
Lorraine Williams, Pot with Horned Moons and Geometric Designs, ca. 1991, fired clay with piñon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.181
Pot with Horned Moons and Geometric Designs
Dateca. 1991
fired clay with piñon pitch
Not on view
Helen Cordero, Singing Maiden, ca. 1984, fired clay, with slip and beeweed, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by John B. Turner, 1997.124.149
Singing Maiden
Dateca. 1984
fired clay, with slip and beeweed
On view
Ida Sahmie, Pot with Yeibichai Dance and Cut-out, 1988, fired clay, clay slips, and beeweed, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.171
Pot with Yeibichai Dance and Cut-out
Date1988
fired clay, clay slips, and beeweed
Not on view