Laura Tafoya Pino Santa Clara Blackware Vessel, Avanyu — Turquoise 

A Santa Clara Pueblo Black-on-Black vessel signed by Laura Tafoya Pino (b. 1949), daughter of Madeline Tafoya and a direct heir to one of the tradition's most distinguished lineages. The form is architecturally bold: two arching handles rise from the shoulder and intertwine at the apex, framing open negative space with a sculptor's confidence. Across the body, polished and matte-carved zones — both fired to the same deep carbon black — give the Avanyu its visual presence through light and texture rather than pigment. The horned water serpent, central to Tewa ceremonial life and the motif Tafoya Pino returned to throughout her career, wraps the vessel alongside stepped geometric cloud forms. A single cabochon of natural turquoise is set flush into the shoulder, its blue-black matrix a deliberate counterpoint to the carbon surface.

Tafoya Pino exhibited at the Santa Fe Indian Market from 1985 to 1998, winning First Place ribbons for a jar and a bowl in 1988. She frequently collaborated with Madeline Tafoya and Tony Lee, and her work is documented in the Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery reference archive.

CONDITION

Fair — a tight hairline is present in the body and a chip with clay loss is visible at the shoulder; both are disclosed in the listing photos. The vessel is structurally stable with no active cracks or repairs detected elsewhere, and the polished surface retains strong reflectivity across the undamaged areas.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Height: 8"
• Width: 5"
• Depth: 5"
• Form: Open sculptural vessel, double interlocking arched handles
• Technique: Black-on-Black fired blackware; polished and matte-carved surfaces
• Design: Avanyu (horned water serpent) and stepped geometric motifs
• Inlay: Natural turquoise cabochon, set into shoulder
• Signature: "Laura T." — hand-scratched into base; full name Laura Tafoya Pino, Santa Clara Pueblo
• Active: Santa Fe Indian Market, 1985–1998
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale