Crow Pot

Christine McHorse, Crow Pot, 1991, kiln-fired and pit-fired micaceous clay with pinon pitch, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock, 1997.124.159
Copied Christine McHorse, Crow Pot, 1991, kiln-fired and pit-fired micaceous clay with pinon pitch, 16 1⁄4 x 12 5⁄8 in. (41.3 x 32.1 cm) diam, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock, 1997.124.159

Artwork Details

Title
Crow Pot
Artist
Date
1991
Location
Dimensions
16 1⁄4 x 12 5⁄8 in. (41.3 x 32.1 cm) diam
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock
Mediums
Mediums Description
kiln-fired and pit-fired micaceous clay with pinon pitch
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — bird — crow
  • Landscape — plant — corn
Object Number
1997.124.159
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.124.159

Artwork Description

Navajo potter Christine McHorse uses sparkling mica clay from the mountains around Taos Pueblo in northern New Mexico. She breaks several Navajo traditions in her work by applying imagery to the clay and firing it in an electric kiln, but believes "I can make my own taboos and traditions" (Rosenak, Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia, 1990). Animals are important in Native American culture, and in these pieces McHorse has incorporated the crow, symbol of the gateway to the supernatural, and the wolf, which Navajos regard as a teacher of wisdom.