Lot 223: Sara Ayers

(Catawba Indian potter, South Carolina, 1919-2002), late 20th century, all burnished earthenware pottery: three figures with incised and punctate decoration: frog 3-1/2 in., turtle 2-1/2 in., duck bowl 4-1/8 in.; double-spouted wedding vase with handle, 11 in.; all signed on base "Sara Ayers/Catawba", (four pieces), light wear, small firing cracks, paste irregularities and inclusions as made, base of frog with label, base of duck bowl with adhesive residue The wedding vase was a wedding gift from Sara Ayers to the consignor; Private Collection, Brevard, North Carolina Sara Lee Ayers is recognized as one of the potters responsible for the recent revival of the Catawba Indian ceramic tradition. Born on the Catawba Indian Reservation near Rock Hill, South Carolina, she dug the clay used in her traditional and neo-traditional pottery from the bank of the Catawba River and fired the pieces in a pit in her backyard. A Catawba Indian Master Potter and recipient of the South Carolina Folk Heritage award, her highly sought-after works are displayed in the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and the Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History in South Carolina.