Clay People

Around 1880 potters of Cochiti Pueblo began making large standing figures of circus performers, cowboys, merchants, and other outsiders who, with the coming of the railroad, encroached increasingly on the Pueblo world. Made by the traditional coil-and-scrape method, these expressive and frankly satirical figures were masterpieces of design and execution, standing as tall as thirty inches without support. At the same time, potters of Tesuque Pueblo developed their own tradition—smaller, seated figures that became known as Rain Gods. Both figurative styles were marketed aggressively by curio dealers in shops and via mail order. Before their popularity waned in the 1930s, they found their way into collections throughout the United States and Europe. This catalogue presents both historic and contemporary views of Pueblo Indian ceramics inspired by the human form. Seldom seen, century-old masterpieces from Cochiti and Tesuque Pueblos reveal the imagination and skill of nineteenth and early twentieth century artists while contemporary potters bring the tradition into the present.