Historic Nambe Pueblo Black Micaceous Pottery Dough Bowl [SOLD]

This late nineteenth century pottery dough bowl is believed to have come from an unknown Nambe Pueblo artist. It varies in color from tan to bold black on its exterior, which fits the description of pottery from Nambe. Its interior, interestingly, is consistent in its black tone and polished to a softly reflective state. The bowl's rim curves inward before reversing course and turning upward, adding a defined edge to the piece, which balances the gently rounded underbody quite nicely. There are no painted or carved designs, which allows the clay's shifting coloration and the vessel's form to stand out as the most impressive attributes. This is a rare, beautiful piece that deserves the attention of those who appreciate fine historic wares.

Although it has been suspected that Polychrome pottery from Nambe has not been made since the early nineteenth century, it is acknowledged that Polished Black micaceous wares were made since that time. We know there were potters at Nambe because the 1910 census lists seven women potters. The remoteness of Nambe Pueblo precluded tourist visits at that time, so these potters provided the pottery needed for pueblo use. It is quite likely that this large bowl saw many years use at Nambe before being sold to an outsider.

According to published information by Jonathan Batkin, "Few documented whole ceramics from Nambe exist. . . All of the pottery collected by Stevenson is either Polished Black or a mica-slipped type (Stevenson 1883a:437-438). One Polished Black bowl is slipped and polished on the interior and unslipped and polished on the exterior. (Batkin 1987:80)

"(Francis) Harlow collected sherds of Nambe's variety of Powhoge Polychrome on the surface of the pueblo. These have abundant fragments of mica—often one millimeter or more in diameter—that come from erosion of the Precambrian rocks of the nearby Sangre de Cristo Range (1973:33). The author has observed this not only in sherd collections and whole polychrome ceramics from Nambe, but in Polished Black vessels in Stevenson's collection," ibid

Notable Nambe potter Lonnie Vigil recently examined the bowl, and confirmed that it is from Nambe Pueblo. Vigil suggested that the bowl may have been made by his own great-grandmother, Perfelia Anaya Peña (ca. 1860-1949). The disctinctive rim shape and polished interior are the characteristics that Vigil associated with his great-grandmother's works. Vigil also explained that the shifting coloration of the bowl is the result of extensive use for cooking.  We are grateful to Lonnie for examining the bowl and sharing his expertise.

Condition: remarkable condition considering its age. There are a few rim chips but nothing else of significance.

Provenance: this Historic Nambe Pueblo Black Micaceous Pottery Dough Bowl is from the collection of a client of adobe Gallery

References:

-Batkin, Jonathan. Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940, The Taylor Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. 1987

- Stevenson, James. Illustrated Catalogue of the Collections Obtained from the Indians of New Mexico in 1880. Pp. 423-465 in Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1880-81. Washington.

-Harlow, Francis H. Matte-Paint Pottery of the Tewa, Keres and Zuni Pueblos. Santa Fe. Museum of New Mexico. 1973.

Recommended Reading: All That Glitters: The Emergence of Native American Micaceous Art Pottery in Northern New Mexico by Duane Anderson

TAGS: Nambe Pueblo, Nanbé Ówingeh, Southwest Indian Pottery