This is an exceedingly rare and wonderful male Cochiti drummer by Tesesita Romero. Teresita was one of only a very small group of potters making figures prior to 1950. In describing a drawing of three pre-1960 “Singing Lady” figures from the Laboratory of Anthropology, Museum of NM (Figure 8 on page 19 of their book The Pueblo Storyteller), Babcock and the Monthans say: “These polychrome female figures made by three of Cochiti’s well-known figurative potters exemplify the type of figures being produced at Cochiti in the decade preceding the invention of the Storyteller”. The second figure in that image is by Teresita Romero.
There are several similarities between the figure discussed in the paragraph above and this piece. Like our drummer here , that figure is holding an object separate from the human figure (in that case, a bowl of bread) and loosely placed in the human’s hands. Also that figure’s dress like our male’s shirt is drawn in a spare and similar manner with minimal decoration. Both figures have slightly bulging and similar “coffee bean” eyes. These figures almost appear to have a family resemblance.
This is a wonderful opportunity to acquire a work by one of Cochiti’s early 20th century pioneers of human figurative pottery.
Condition is excellent, unrestored and original.