An iconic Avanyu, the horned serpent associated with life giving water, is emblazoned on this blackware pot made by master potter Minnie Vigil  (1931-2024) from Santa Clara & Pojoaque Pueblos. It was made around the mid twentieth century when most individual potters did not sign their work. Vigil depicts her graphic Avanyu as an undulating water monster with extra detail at the head including teeth & a fine zig zag shaped arrow emitting from it's mouth, which signifyies lightning. She was known for her Santa Clara polychrome pottery, so it is nice to see this rare early blackware example of her work. The Avanyu was painted in negative reversal, where she painted the background around the creature with clayslip after polishing the vessel both inside & out to an outstanding mirrorlike shine. This particular pot shows evidence that she smoothed it with a corn cob before burnishing it with a stone, which is an ancient practice not seen very much  after the turn of the last century; note the linear marks remaining on the base & inside the bowl which were not as smoothly polished as the sides. This was built using coils of local red clay that was pit fired outside. It was given a second firing expressly to darken the surface of the vessel with smoke, lending the clay body a deep rich shiny black color where polished in contrast to the dark grey painted areas of the design. This is unsigned but the distinctive Avanyu tells us this was made by Minnie Vigil! It measures approx 3.25" H x 5" W  x 5" D. This fun piece of traditional Santa Clara pottery would be a cherished addition to any collection!