This is a black on black pottery bowl by San Ildefonso Pueblo potter, Carmelita Dunlap. Carmelita was raised by her aunts, Maria Martinez and Desideria Montoya so they shared their knowledge and traditions with her. Carmelita began producing pottery in the 1950s. In 1974, several Pueblo potters were invited to visit the White House and the president and Mrs. Nixon. One of Carmelita’s pots was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution at that time.
This bowl features an awanyu, the water serpent, coiled around in the matte black section of the bowl. The awanyu is a powerful water symbol, especially important to the Native Americans in the Southwest.
The bowl is signed, pressed into the clay on the underside, “Carmelita Dunlap, San Ildefonso Pue”
The bowl measures 5″ tall x 8″ wide. It is in good old condition with light wear to the surface, visible in the photos.
