Native American Pueblo Tesuque NM Rain God Pottery Pot Figure Statue 1895 -1910

Description

T
his auction is for a wonderful antique Pueblo Tesuque pottery rain god figure that has been in my family for three generations (100+ years) since it was purchased in New Mexico around 1905.  The Tesuque community of NM was forced to relocate to Tesuque (very near Sante Fe) when driven from their historic home by the Spanish in the 1600s.  The Tesque were one of three primary makers of fine painted pottery in the 18th & 19th century.
The Tesuque Pueblo potters started making "clay rain god figures" in about 1895 for the tourist trade.  These clay figures had no sacred meaning but were simply charming pottery figures for the curio shops frequented by visitors to NM.  The rain god statues were made from clay and then painted.  The amount of decorations on the figures increased through the years.  This is a very early rain god figure.
This figure is a "full figure" of a rain gold sitting with a decorated vessel in is lap between his outstretched legs.  There are facial decorations including lovely whirling logs in the center of his forehead.  The eyes, nose and mouth are open with slits.  There are decorations on his chest and on the vessel he holds.  The rain god pottery was wildly popular with visitors to NM until about 1920.  There was no interest in acquiring these figures for museums & fine collections in the early days.  However, they are now considered to be charming figures and part of Native American history.  So they appear in fine collections and museums of today.  The figures are quite fragile & are easily damaged so it is rare to find a figure without damage and/or repairs.  This antique clay Tesuque rain god pot is without any damage or repairs!  Carefully cared for by three generations of my family.
My grandfather purchased the rain god pot sometime in his very early days in Las Cruces, NM (by 1910).  He later gave many pieces in his pottery collection to my parents.  My mother marked this piece as "Pueblo Rain God" very fainting in pencil on the bottom.  I have not tried to remove it.  My parents gave the rain god & other Native American pottery to me in the 1970s.  The last photo is of an original Zuni
candlestick pot that will soon be listed separately on eBay along with other Native America pottery belonging to my family.
The pottery Tesuque rain god is in remarkable condition with no breaks & repairs that I can see.  I looked at many rain god figures on the Internet with significant breaks or missing parts.  This is a very rare survivor from early NM Tesque rain god pots.  There are surface scraches and perhaps rubs.  There could be an acculumation of material on the pot that I have not tried to clean except for gentle dusting.  There could be tiny cracks in the clay and some point loss.  The piece is not signed other than the pencil marking by my mother.  Overall, this Tesque rain god pot is in excellent antique & original condition.
Specifics:
Design: Pueblo Tesuque Rain God with Vessel
Materials:  Clay, paint
Width (side to side):  3 1/8"
Height (top to bottom):  6"
Depth (front to back):  3 3/4"
Weight:  405.5 grams
This is a rare opportunity to acquire a genuine antique Pueblo Tesuque rain god figure in wonderful, original condition.  The clay rain god statue would be an important addition to a collection of Native American arts & antiques.  A rare find for the serious
collector!  A treasure to pass along for future generations.
Full USPS insurance coverage. Your purchase will be packaged with great care using new bubble wrap and a sturdy new cardboard box.  I usually ship daily except for Sundays and holidays.  Any excess shipping costs paid over actual cost will be
refunded to the  buyer.
Sold in the US only.  No international bids, please.  Will not ship outside the US.
I only accept PayPal.  I do not accept returns unless I make a significant error in describing this Tesuque rain god figure.  Please make note of this policy before bidding.  Please examine the photos to assess the condition for yourself.
This auction is for the rain god pottery only as described above.  Other items shown in the photos are for display purposes only.