Historic Laguna Pueblo Dough Bowl ca. 1895 [SOLD]

This historic pottery dough bowl was made at Laguna Pueblo around the year 1895. Large dough bowls from Laguna and Acoma are exceedingly rare, so we are pleased to be able to offer this beautiful piece. The simple, strong, and repetitive designs suit the vessel perfectly, and the subtle variations from typical coloration elevate the powerful visual impact.

As far as form goes, this piece is mostly typical—low and wide, with a flat base—but quite well executed. It's a bit thicker than the typical Acoma piece, which reinforces our initial design-based identification as a Laguna piece. The rim curves inward slightly, and the walls have a loose and pleasant symmetry, with the type of subtle variation that we would expect on a hand-coiled vessel.

A pair of designs repeats eight times around the bowl's exterior, alternating beautifully between a vertical checkerboard and a square element, which is full of diagonal floral elements. These designs are completed in black over white slip, which is also typical, but there's a notable strength in the way the two tones contrast and complement one another. Atypical coloration appears on the brighter-than-usual orange base as well as the interior, which is unslipped and left to display the clay's light tan coloration. The interior was rag wiped or gently polished, and eventually darkened and patinated from use and handling.

Condition: good condition. Two vertical cracks exist, but they appear to have been stabilized. Pinon pitch—likely an early stabilization attempt—appears in the cracks as well (see below).

Provenance: this Historic Laguna Pueblo Dough Bowl ca. 1895 was formerly in the collections of John Barry of California, Robert Gallegos of Albuquerque, and Richard Howard of Santa Fe.

Recommended Reading: Acoma & Laguna Pottery by Rick Dillingham

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Acoma Pueblo, Historic Pottery, Laguna Pueblo, Ka'waika