Description
An Indian Pueblo Store exclusive! This unique café-style ceramic mug is a replica of a single beautiful clay pot handcrafted by Carlos Laate of Zuni Pueblo. Laate handcrafted traditional pottery adorned with a beautiful‚ Deer in the House‚ design. His elegant deer features a traditional heartline which is a symbol that represents breath as the life force of the deer.
Details
- Collectible tall café-style mug
- Based on original by artist Carlos Laate (Zuni Pueblo)
- Cup measurements: 6" H x 4-1/2" L x 3-1/4" W
- 16 oz
- Ceramic
- This Item is Not Dishwasher or Microwave safe
The mugs are designed by Pueblo artists from New Mexico, and printed in the USA on imported ceramics.
About the Artist
Carlos began making pottery around 1987, and also crafts jewelry and carvings. His destiny as an artist was almost certain, as his mother was a jeweler, his father a carver, leatherworker, and welder, and his grandmother and aunt renowned potters Daisy Hooee and Jennie Laate.
Carlos looks to ancient pots found in museums, and potsherds found while walking near his Zuni home, to inspire the designs of his work. It was his grandparents who explained the meanings behind the images he found. “What they taught me was that all the designs that are on the pot are the prayers we use in our daily lives – to have a good life, to have a successful life, and asking for longevity.” See more work by Carlos and learn more on his featured artist page HERECollector's Guide
The most celebrated and recognized art form of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico is pottery. Pueblo pottery is known around the world for its remarkable beauty and craftsmanship. It has been made in much the same way for over a thousand years, with every step of creation completed by hand.
Pueblo potters do not use a wheel, but construct pots using the traditional horizontal coil method, or freely forming the shape. After the pot is formed, the artist polishes the piece with a natural polishing stone, such as a river stone, then paints it with a vegetal, mineral, or commercial slip. Finally, the pot is fired in an outdoor fire or kiln using manure or wood as fuel.
Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Jemez, and Acoma Pueblos have distinctive pottery styles that are especially prized by collectors, but accomplished potters are working in all Pueblos.
Today, Pueblo pottery is an exciting and dynamic form, with many artists pairing traditional techniques with innovative and stylized designs. Those potters who continue to create pots using traditional methods possess an extraordinary level of skill, and their pots are highly valuable works of fine art that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Read our Native American Pottery Collector's Guide.