Older Zia Pueblo Polychrome Canteen [SOLD]

An extraordinary well-used canteen from Zia Pueblo created most probably in the early 1900s. This fine piece is coil-formed in native clay with the addition of crushed basaltic temper. The underbody is stone-polished bare paste in a warm brick red color. A very wide red band was wiped on as a dividing line between the bare paste underbody and the decorated upper body.

The design field is slipped in a creamy white slip on which is prominently displayed a wide-eyed Zia bird which is framed in a circular band that could represent rain clouds. A single flower sprouts up in front of the bird. Two handles are on the sides of the body and they are secured with a twisted leather strap, a sure sign of use as a portable water vessel.

Condition: Structurally, the canteen is in excellent condition. There is some significant abrasion to the designed area of the canteen, most probably from many years or decades of daily use as a water carrier.

Provenance: The canteen is currently the property of Isleta Pueblo artist, Ed Jojola Shirpoyo, who brought it to us to sell for him.