Vessel

ClassificationsFurnishings-Serviceware-vessels

Date20th century

MediumPainted ceramic

Dimensions1 1/2 × 1 3/8 in. (3.8 × 3.5 cm)

Credit LineGifts of Mr. and Mrs. George T. Butler and Armand J. Labbé

Object number2003.30.114

DescriptionThis miniature 20th century pottery vessel is part of a collection of some 427 miniature pottery vessels that were slowly collected from roadside gift shops throughout the American Southwest sometime between 1940 and 1960. Created by the same Native American potters who created the full-sized vessels they are photographed with; these delightfully adorable made-for-sale minis were ideal ways of earning more revenue while using less clay than ever before. Many of these miniatures fully retain the features of their larger antecedents, including intricate designs and variable textures caused by using different glazes. The smallest of these vessels is woven rather than ceramic and is about half the size of a dime.

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