Pdf Catalogue - John Moran Auctioneers

1104 A Native American Helen Cordero Cochiti pottery storyteller figure
Last quarter 20th century, the underside signed ‘’Helen Cordero (1915 - 1994) / Cochiti
N. Mexico’’, depicting a seated male elder, with legs extended, hands on his lap,
the eyes closed and mouth open in recitation, three small children perched on his
knees, two on his shoulders and one clings to his back, 9.5’’ H x 6.25’’ W x 9.25’’ D,
est:$3000/5000
Note: Helen Cordero began a new tradition in Native American Pueblo pottery with
the creation of her series of figures. Dissatisfied with her work fashioning pottery
vessels, in 1964 she turned her talents toward creating storyteller figures in honor
of her grandfather, a renowned storyteller at the Pueblo, as well as other figurative
pieces.
While most of Cordero’s storyteller figures share a similar expression- eyes closed,
mouth open, head tilted upward, the nature of the story can be discerned by the
gestures of the children that surround the storyteller. In this example, the children
hide their eyes, or clasp their hands or each other, leading the viewer to understand
that the story being recounted is a scary one.
A very similar figure sold Bonham’s, San Francisco, 4 December 2006, lot 5081
($10,000). Another related figure, of a woman and single child sold Bonham’s, San
Francisco, 14 December 2009, lot 4349 ($5,490). Provenance: Property from a Private
Collection. Condition: Good condition overall. General marks, scratches and slight
rubbing commensurate with age. With some flaked losses to polychrome decoration
in areas, most notably to soles of shoes- as visible in the catalogue photo. A few
scattered imperfections particularly around the base/legs. No restoration fluoresces
under blacklight. Some dirt accumulation overall. AS-IS. ALL SALES FINAL
1105 A Native American R. C. Gorman pottery vase, ‘Maria del ‘’Repose’’’
1986, signed and numbered in pencil lower edge ‘’R.C. Gorman’’ (Rudolph Charles
Gorman 1932 - 2005, Santa Fe, NM) and ‘’110/150’’, impressed to base ‘’1986 Gorman
edition rc greg grycner ltd. ed’’, with narrow mouth and short depicting two stylized
seated woman on a lavender and blue ground, 18’’ H x 12’’ Dia., est:$400/600
Condition: Good condition overall. General light marks and scratches commensurate
with age. With a small nick to red skirt of one woman. AS-IS. ALL SALES FINAL
1106 R. C. Gorman (1932-2005 Santa Fe, NM)
Seated Figure in a Blanket, signed and dated in pencil lower left: R.C. Gorman 1982,
numbered in pencil lower right: 160/250, color woodcut on paper under glass, image
size: 14.5’’ x 19.5’’, est:$600/800
Note: The paper embossed with printer’s blind stamp lower right: Taos Editions
Ltd. Provenance: Property from a Private Collection, Irvine, CA. Visual: Generally
good condition with mild toning to the paper and very minor handling creases in the
margins. Notches in the lower left and lower center margins, presumed to be in the
hand of the artist. Four deckled edges. Not examined out of the frame. AS-IS. ALL
SALES FINAL.
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