Lot 53: A Tony Da blackware bear

Tony Da
San Ildefonso, (1940-2008), circa 1967-71, a black and sienna turquoise-inlaid and sgraffito pottery bear, with turquoise eyes, nostrils, and accents on each side, a carved lightning bolt encircling the body, and a stone spear blade fastened to the bear's back with strands of heishi and coral beads.height 6 1/4in x length 9in

Provenance: Per the collector's notes, purchased at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial August, 1971Tony Da, grandson of master San Ildefonso potter Maria Martinez and son of Popovi Da, showed an early proficiency with clay early under his grandmother's tutelage. In his late 20s, Da's innovative methods, combined with his use of traditional Mimbres motifs, led him quickly into popularity, with his signature figurative bears quickly becoming his most easily recognized pieces. The earlier bears were always executed in polished black "gunmetal." Da experimented with double-firing to get the black and sienna coloration seen in the present example, but found the method too volatile, finally settling on a blowtorch to burn away the oxidation and create sienna bands, spots, or rims (King, Charles S. and Spivey, Richard L., The Life and Art of Tony Da, Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, AZ, 2011 p. 44-51.