Señor Beto Reyes - Artist
Approximate measurements;
Width - 5.5 inches
Height - 8.5 inches
Weight - 1 pound 3 ounces
A ring for sitting this on is included.
Artist Beto Reyes is the master craftsman behind this pottery. He is a member of the generation of new, young artists who have stepped up to carry on this centuries old tradition in the village of Mata Ortiz. His style includes depictions of adorable native wildlife - primarily mammals, with some birds. There is an assortment of them frolicking and posing in leafy branches. In additional to the deer and bears, I believe there are coyote, coatis, squirrels and perhaps a skunk or two.
The style Señor Reyes uses here is sgraffito. After hand building this wedding vase, he glazes it. Then he removes glaze to create these images. Sgrafitto is characterized by the deeper horizontal lines. In the culture of Mata Ortiz, the practice goes back a thousand years. There is a hummingbird here, and another coatimundis on the handle. It is a cheerful and active scene.
The use of these double spout vases carries over into numerous southwestern cultures. Their ceremonial use in marriage traditions and marriage rites is significant and too involved to describe here, but makes for very interesting reading. Suffice it to say, one spout is for the groom and one spout is for the bride.
Be aware to never fill this with liquid and always carry it from the sides.
Señor Reyes signs his art work.
A pottery ring is included in the price for the vase to sit on.