Marie Toya Jemez Pueblo Storyteller, Signed, 4½"

Signed storyteller by Marie Roberta Toya (Jemez Pueblo, b. 1956), modeled as a seated singer with open mouth, a child with painted drum in her arms and a second child perched on her head. Hand-built clay with matte polychrome slips (cream, red, black); shawl with stylized corn motif. Underside signed “Marie Toya / Jemez.” Toya—daughter of renowned potter Mary E. Toya—has worked since the 1970s and is best known for storytellers made from locally dug clay and outdoor-fired, a tradition taught within the Toya/Loretto/Lucero family network at Jemez. Compact, charming example of a highly collectible form.

This compact example shows the rounded modeling and serene, closed-eye faces characteristic of the Toya family’s late-20th-century storytellers, a form popularized in the Pueblo world after the 1960s. A charming, display-ready piece for Native American pottery collectors or anyone drawn to figurative ceramics.

Condition

Good overall with age-appropriate wear to the finish and light shelf wear; scattered rubs to high points (bun, edges, child’s head/feet). No damage or repairs observed. Please review photos.

Dimensions/Size

4.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches (Height x Width x Depth).
A standard Campbell’s soup can appears in one photo for scale.

Why this piece

Authentic, signed work by a noted Jemez potter; desirable storyteller subject with child and drum; attractive painted corn motif. A lovely addition to a Southwestern or folk art collection—don’t miss it.

Please Note: Soup for Scale in Photo