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Lot # G416

Evelyn Cheromiah (1928–2013) Laguna Pueblo Polychrome Pottery Canteen, New Mexic View Watchlist >

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Lot # G416
System ID # 23284060

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Description

Evelyn Cheromiah (1928–2013), Laguna Pueblo
Polychrome Pottery Canteen | New Mexico | c. 1970s–1980s
Hand-coiled earthenware with natural clay slip and mineral/vegetal pigments
Signed: E. Cheromiah, Laguna Pueblo, N.M.
Dimensions: 8 1/8 x 8 x 7 3/4 inches


Exemplary Laguna Pueblo Revival Pottery from a Master of Tradition

This elegant polychrome canteen by Evelyn Cheromiah, one of the foremost revivalists of 20th-century Laguna Pueblo ceramics, exemplifies the intersection of tradition, functionality, and artistic mastery. Coiled and smoothed by hand, this rounded form features a short, vertical spout and dual lug handles—evoking historic water vessels while asserting its place as a contemporary work of fine art.

Decorated in a refined palette of black and rust-red over a soft cream slip, the surface bears a complex interlace of stylized feathers, stepped motifs, and abstract scrollwork—each symbol alluding to elemental forces like rain, clouds, and water, central themes in Pueblo spiritual and environmental worldview. The designs are meticulously rendered using natural pigments and applied with traditional yucca-fiber brushes, achieving both precision and flow.


Cultural and Artistic Significance

Born into a lineage of potters, Evelyn Cheromiah was the daughter of Mariano Cheromiah and the mother of artists Lee Ann and Wendy Cheromiah. Her work emerged during a period of cultural transition, when traditional pottery-making at Laguna Pueblo had largely fallen into decline due to shifting labor patterns and industrial employment. As a rare exception, Cheromiah not only continued her practice but actively revived it.

In the 1970s, she was awarded a federal grant to teach traditional pottery techniques at the Laguna Pueblo Community Center, helping restore an artistic lineage that had been dormant for decades. She adhered strictly to ancestral methods: gathering her own clay, tempering with potsherds, mixing mineral and vegetal paints, and firing outdoors in an open pit—an increasingly rare commitment in a modernizing world.


Context and Legacy

Cheromiah’s work has been honored with numerous awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market, Gallup Ceremonials, and the New Mexico State Fair, and her pottery is now widely held in distinguished private and institutional collections. Comparable works have sold in the $2,000–$3,000 range at top galleries such as King Galleries and Adobe Gallery, underscoring her enduring value in the Native American art market.

This canteen, in good condition with no damage and only minor shelf wear, presents a rare opportunity to acquire an authenticated, signed work from a pivotal figure in the preservation and revitalization of Laguna Pueblo ceramic arts.


Provenance
Private New Mexico collection; acquired directly from the artist during the late 20th century.


Condition
Good overall with no structural damage. Minor shelf wear to the base as expected with age and display. Surfaces remain intact with crisp pigment and fine detailing.

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