Small Skunk Pottery Figure by Juana Leno of Acoma Pueblo

This is the cutest little tiny skunk pottery figure you've ever seen. He's so simple but filled with movement and character. Notice his little black and white stripes and his long bushy tail confidently waving high in the air (watch out!) He's handmade by Juana Leno, one of the four matriarchs of contemporary Acoma Pueblo pottery.

Juana Leno lived from 1917-2000 and created some of the finest pottery to come from Acoma Pueblo. Many of Juana Leno's pieces were large jars with complex polychrome or black and white painted motifs. 

It's so fun to have Juana's skunk figure as something different. You wonder if she was inspired to create him after a skunk made it to the top of Sky City and harassed its residents. Whatever the inspiration may be, the hands of one of Acoma's greats gave him life.

Dimensions: He's a little guy at 2 1/8" long x 1 5/8" tall and 1/2" wide. He's signed on the bottom and comes with one of his original tags.

Provenance: Skunky comes from the collection of a beautiful woman who grew up in Germany during World War II. Post war, she moved to the United States and became a model in New York City. She eventually married, left her modeling career, and moved to El Paso with her husband. In El Paso, she first experienced the charm of Native American art and jewelry. 

Many years later, she attended her first of several celebrated Native American art field trips hosted by Martha Struever. During this time, she expanded her collection of Native American art and jewelry. Her collection wasn't vast, but it was extremely meaningful to her.

After a long and full life, this dear woman recently passed away. She knew that her collection which she lovingly called her "treasures" was to be handled by Turquoise & Tufa, and she expressed her wishes that these dear fetishes would bring as much joy to us as they did to her.