Mexican Mata Ortiz Pottery Interlocking Lizards:
Width - 5 inches
Height - 4.25 inches
Weight - 12 ounces
Señor Efren Ledezma is the creator of this incredible work of art. It is near perfectly round, hand created in the village of Mata Ortiz, deep in the Chihuahua Desert of Mexico.
For starters, this piece is known as a ‘seed pot’ due to the microscopic hole in the top. Pottery remnants from a thousand years ago were found with this feature. Seeds for farming would be stored in these vessels, kept safe from rodents eating this valuable resource.
The surface has a primer layer of cream white glazing. Then a surreal interlocking lizard design is repeatedly hand painted using glaze made from all local and natural materials. The motif is complex and impressionistic, with dozens of these forms swirling around form the top to the bottom.
The methods for creating this come from the techniques used by the ancestors belonging to the Paquime Culture in the region of the great Casas Grandes. All the materials are local and the outdoor ovens are built in the same manner using the same type of fuel. Brushes and tools are all locally made by the artists.
Señor Ledezma is widely respected as being a foremost artisan in the creation of these seed pots.
A pottery ring is included with this Mexican Mata Ortiz Pottery Interlocking Lizards.