1930 MAUDE WELCH CHEROKEE INDIAN Figural POTTERY SIGNED & Dated N. Carolina
Fabulous piece of Native American Indian Pottery , hand made in 1930 and adorned with figural Indian heads. The pot has the highly regarded artist's distinctive flame smoked finish. This pot is (incised) signed and dated on the bottom : Made by Maude Welch... It measures 7" across at its widest point , and 4 3/4" high. The heavy walled pot is in pretty good condition for its age , with some visible issues present. There is shallow chipping / roughness around the top rim , as shown in close-up photos 11 and 12. The tips of the noses on the Indian heads have minor chips on the tips of the noses. There is a horizontal line a little more than midway down that meanders around part of the pot (close-up photo 10) It has the appearance of a surface crack, but does not extend through the body of the thick walled pottery. PLEASE LOOK AT ALL THE PHOTOS FOR THE BEST DESCRIPTION.
Still, a beautiful example of Native American Indian Art executed by a recognized and well documented member of the Eastern Cherokees. Maude French Welch (18941953) was was born near Cooper's Creek in the Birdtown section of the Qualla Boundary. In the 1920s she lived in South Carolina, where she met some of the most accomplished of Catawba potters. Returning to the Qualla Boundary, Welch began producing pottery in earnest and was quickly rewarded.
Her work, sought-after and prizewinning, allowed her to contribute to the household income. While largely self-taught, Welch continued to add to her reportoire of traditional pottery forms and sometimes added hand-shaped embellishments. Welch used a variety of tools to shape her pottery and used the same polishing stone for more than twenty-five years. She briefly experimented with pottery kilns, but abandoned the practice because customers preferred her signature mottled tan and smoky-black pottery, achieved by more traditional methods.
A 1935 report on pottery called her the most talented potter on the Reservation, and some contend that Welch led the revival of potters art among the Cherokee. I will be listing another piece from his collection this week, so be sure to check back. The item "1930 MAUDE WELCH CHEROKEE INDIAN Figural POTTERY SIGNED & Dated N. Carolina" is in sale since Monday, April 25, 2016. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Native American\ US\1800-1934\Pottery".
The seller is "wildbunny4" and is located in Sound Beach, New York. This item can be shipped to United States.- Artisan: Maude Welch
- Origin: North Carolina
- Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States