Zia Pueblo Pottery with Turtle Lid By Elizabeth Medina

Late 20th Century

11.125″ H with lid x 8.5″ D

Hand Coiled Clay with Buff Slip and Hand Painted Black and Red Colors of Bird and Flower Motifs with a Matching Lid with a Sculpted Turtle

From a Private Colorado Collection

Excellent Condition

Elizabeth Medina (born November 30, 1956, in Jemez Pueblo) is a renowned Native American potter who has become one of the most accomplished artists working in the traditional Zia Pueblo style. Originally from Jemez Pueblo, she married Marcellus Medina, a Zia Pueblo potter, in 1978 and relocated to Zia Pueblo. There, she received permission from Zia elders to create pottery in the Zia tradition, learning the techniques from her mother-in-law, Sofia Medina. Medina is celebrated for her hand-coiled polychrome jars and ollas, often featuring vibrant, multi-colored slips (cream, tan, rose-red, and orange) derived from natural clays. Her work is fired outdoors in the traditional manner, emphasizing the Pueblo’s cultural heritage. She frequently collaborates with her husband Marcellus, and together they have earned awards, including the Pueblo Pottery Excellence Award at the 2019 Santa Fe Indian Market.

Medina’s designs draw from Zia symbolism, incorporating motifs like roadrunners (the New Mexico state bird and sacred to the Zia), flowers, rain clouds, rainbows, berry bushes, geometric patterns, and fine-line hatching. A signature element of her lidded pieces is the turtle effigy lidan appliqu turtle figure that serves both as a functional knob and a symbolic nod to longevity and protection in Pueblo lore. Zia pottery, including Medina’s, is tempered with ground basalt (a volcanic rock softened through a year-long burial process) for durability, and it often features the iconic Zia sun symbol, which inspired New Mexico’s state flag.