Rare Polychrome Upright Canteen [SOLD]

Pottery from Santa Ana Pueblo is amongst the scarcest of all pueblo pottery. According to Batkin^¹: “As far as is known, all decorated pottery made at Santa Ana in the nineteenth century was polychrome. Reliable sources state that pottery was made in considerable quantities until 1900, although not much has survived. By the 1920s, the tradition had practically died out. Apparently no potters entered their work for judging at the Indian Fair between 1922 and 1924; examples made between 1925 and the late 1940s are rare.”

During the last quarter of the 20^th century, there was an attempt to revive the art of pottery production at Santa Ana. Eudora Montoya is the most well recognized potter from Santa Ana Pueblo. It was she who, in 1972, began teaching Santa Ana women the art of pottery making. She had 17 students in her first class. Only 5 or 6 of them continued making pottery. I know of no one making traditional pottery at Santa Ana today.

It is possible that this canteen was made in the mid-1970s by a potter in Montoya’s class, but it is not signed so we cannot be sure of the maker. It is well constructed of traditional materials. The sand temper used at Santa Ana is evident in this piece, but it has not caused the extensive surface pitting normally associated with Santa Ana pottery. Spalling or pitting is at a minimum in this piece.

The canteen is in original excellent condition, except for the minor spalling of the slip here and there.

Reference: ^¹Pottery of The Pueblos of New Mexico 1700 – 1940. The Taylor Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Jonathan Batkin. 1987.