Santa Clara black pottery candlestick holder
circa 1900-1920s
9" wide by 4 7/8" high
excellent condition
no provenance available
P0387
$550.
When the railroads went West, they brought visitors who wanted to collect local wares. This might have been purchased from one of the Pueblo women selling at the railroad stops or from a trader or shop, such as the Fred Harvey shops that were at most train stops. Items such as this, a triple candlestick holder made in a traditional manner, readily sold to the visitors.
There are few of these that come onto the market. This has the black polished surface associated with Santa Clara pottery, having been formed in a traditional manner, slipped and polished, and then fired in an outdoor fire that was then smothered by pulverized dung to achieve this color ("a reduction atmosphere").
Marcy Burns American Indian Arts, LLC
525 East 72nd Street, Suite 26G
New York, New York 10021
(by appointment only)
