HORSEHAIR POTTERY
Horsehair pottery is an ancient practice, and results in beautiful and treasured pieces of art. Often used to commemorate the birth of a foal, or the life of a cherished horse, horsehair pottery is made much as its name implies, though it is a rather complicated and sometimes dangerous process.
Said to have been discovered when a long-haired maiden had some of her hair blown onto her pottery that she pulled fresh from the kiln, horsehair pottery is created when a piece of draped with horsehair when it is still hot. Generally the piece must be laced with the horsehair once it has reached about 1600 degrees, but some artists are able to achieve the fine lines from the horse hair at about 1000 degrees, depending on the particular kind of clay being used. There is a very short window of time that the artist has to place the hair, and for the most part they have little control over the exact patterns that will arise from the technique. The hair is instantly burned off the pottery, which creates a carbon smoke. The hair itself is what creates the dark lines while the smoke burns in the light, cloudy patterns.
These marvelous examples of horsehair pottery are created by Master Navajo Artist Tom Vail, a resident of New Mexico and members of his extremely talented family. Each of the pieces shown here on the Kachina House website are example pieces of Tom’s work, and since each piece is carefully handmade and because of the unique character of horse hair pottery, your piece of pottery will be different from the one pictured here. Tom Vail is one of the most sought after Native American horsehair pottery artists, so you’re sure to be pleased with the uniquely colored and etched piece once it arrives. Tom creates both fine etched horsehair pottery as well as horsehair sculptures, both of which can be found here on the Kachina House website. If you have something special in mind, don’t hesitate to contact us about placing a special order for one of these pieces that each come with a certificate of authenticity that guarantees their true Native American origin.
