Mata Ortiz Hand Painted Dazzler Indian Pottery.

Imaginative and creative. Hand coiled, hand painted and hand fired Casa Grandes pot. A good potter is skilled with clay - thoughtful and deliberating, an artist. He is skilled with his hands which has never been more evident. An excellent collectible...

The Inspiration of Casa Grandes pottery is taken from Casas Grandes tradition. The renaissance of this beautiful pottery began in the early 1960's, following the Amerind Foundation's excavation of the nearby Paquime ruins in 1958. Until that time, there was little interest in the antiquities of the area, but after the excavation, however, an new awareness developed.

Technically and aesthetically, Casas Grandes pottery equals or surpasses the work of the Indian potters of the American Southwest. It is made with clay from the mountains high above the village of MataOrtiz, painted with human hair brushes and natural pigments (minerals and roots of plants). It is hand-formed, without the use of a potter's wheel, and is dung fired.

For centuries, the Indian peoples of the Southwest have fashioned pots from the native clay and baked them beneath the fiery desert sun. Each intricate design and symbol has been painted onto the gorgeous clay by hand. Beautiful workmanship.

For nearly two thousand years pottery has been made and used in the American Southwest. The technology probably came to this region from Mexico where it's history is much older and where it's form as sculpture was more evolved. In the Southwest, pottery's principal use in the past was as a container and it is the continuance of the tradition of painted pottery. The history of pottery in the Southwest stretches back more than two thousand years. While pottery making is much older in Mexico, Central and South America, perhaps the oldest pottery in the Southwest has been found in southern Arizona, dating 300 B.C. Millions around the world are experiencing a growing appreciation for the arts and cultures of native peoples. In the American Southwest, Indian artists continue to create beautiful objects with loving care. Their creations may be seen as six main types of art forms: paintings, jewelry, baskets, textiles, carvings and pottery. Casas Grandes pottery equals or surpasses the work of the Indian potters of the American Southwest. It is made with clay from the mountains high above the village of MataOrtiz, painted with human hair brushes and natural pigments (minerals and roots of plants). It is hand-formed, without the use of a potter's wheel, and is dung fired. Each intricate line has been hand-painted. Beautiful workmanship, high gloss, stone polished finish.

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Details:

1. All of the colors in these photo are the same as the pottery

2. ~8-1/2" tall, ~5-1/2" wide, ~20-1/4" circumference, ~3-1/8" opening
3. Signed on bottom, Estrella Silveira Hernandez.