The Dr. Samuel R. Poliakoff Collection of Western Art

Naranjo was one of the finest potters of her generation, coming from a family of potters including her mother Christina and aunt, Margaret Tafoya. A single mother, she raised four children, making pottery to buy groceries and provide for her family. Her circumstances never diminished her virtuoso skills. The swirls or ribs of the melon are impressed from the outside into the wet clay pot’s surface. Controlling the size and swirl of the ribs requires painstakingly careful work.