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seeking info on native american potter

updated sat 28 jan 06

 

Sue Beach on thu 26 jan 06


Hi all.

My husband, Ron, has owned a small, black pot for many years. Neither of us
gave it much thought. He thinks it belonged to his grandmother. Tonight I
looked at it more closely and now I'm really interested in learning more about
the potter.

The pot is about 3 1/2 inches wide & 2 1/2 inches tall. It is black with a
lighter black design. On the bottom it says "Petra Santa Clara $3.00" and
looks as if it was written in pencil.

I did some searching on-line & came up with the following:
There was a Native American potter at the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico who
was working in there 1940s. Her name was Petra Montoya Gutierrez. Several of
her children are still living at the pueblo making pots.

I found one similar (but not exactly like) ours on Ebay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Santa-Clara-Black-on-Black-Indian-Pottery-Bowl-Petra_W0QQitemZ7739655003QQcategoryZ13747QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The signature looks the same except on our pot it is underlined.

We know Ron's grandmother was in New Mexico in the Santa Fe area ca 1948 or so.
So I am guessing this is one of Petra Gutierrez' pots.

Can anyone recommend a resource for learning more about her?

Thanks for any clues.

Sue Beach
Muncie, IN

Dale Neese on fri 27 jan 06


Guide to Native American Museums of New Mexico
Maxwell Anthropology Museum Albuquerque, NM at the University of New Mexico
Millicent Rogers Museum Taos, NM
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Santa Fe, NM
Poeh Center Pojoaque Pueblo, NM
Roswell Museum & Art Center Roswell, NM
The Portal Santa Fe, NM at the Palace of the Governors, Museum of New
Mexico.
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian Santa Fe, NM

Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA