Late 19th Century Pottery Jar Attributed to the Aguilar Sisters [SOLD]

This beautiful jar was made by Felipita Aguilar Garcia and Asuncion Aguilar Caté, the Santo Domingo Pueblo duo who are better known as the Aguilar Sisters. With the encouragement of trader Julius Seligman, the Aguilar sisters created styles of polychrome pottery that were unlike anything else produced during their era. This piece comes from earlier in their career, when they created pieces in the traditional black-on-cream style. The vessel shape and the manner in which the designs are arranged allow us to identify the jar as an Aguilar sisters creation. This jar shows the beginning of their departure from the traditional black triangle designs of their earlier work. It likely dates to circa 1890s, the time they began their experimental designs. They would continue experimenting and developing a style that eventually became a radical departure from what others were making.

This is one of the exceptional black-on-cream jars by the sisters. With its wide body, high shoulder, and flaring rim, it is a graceful piece. The potters chose to place three separate bands of design over a traditional band of red at the underbody. The lower band is a mixture of upright and downward flowing black paired triangles with curved walls that, when connected, reveal a flowing undulating river or acequia. The design on the body, which repeats four times, is a vertical element of four sections-a pair of thin curved black lines, a wider black line with an eye, and a pair of clouds consisting of two triangles, one above the other. Perhaps this represents a strong wind prior to the rain that is shown above in the neck design. The connected clouds are filled with rain drops. The black rim partially conceals additional black clouds under the expanding lip of the rim.

The jar has a concave body, a red lower section, and red pigment on the inside of the flaring rim.

As a matter of record, Kewa Pueblo potter Robert Tenorio told us that the sisters should be referred to as Caté, not Aguilar. He said the males of the family, who were Aguilars, were the ones who went out from the pueblo to sell the pottery, resulting in it being recorded as purchased from Aguilar. That name has been associated with their potter for a hundred years or more, so it is unlikely to ever change. We do feel that it is important to make note of it, however.

This magnificent jar is solid in appearance with its wide body. The restraints of the body design add an element of modernism, and allows the beautiful pearl slip to expose its well earned patina. The Aguilar sisters were masters at pottery design at a time when individualism was not the norm.

Condition: excellent condition with a very small rim repair

Provenance: this Late 19th Century Pottery Jar Attributed to the Aguilar Sisters is from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery

References:

- Chapman, Kenneth M. The Pottery of Santo Domingo Pueblo: A Detailed Study of its Decoration. Memoirs of the Laboratory of Anthropology, Volume 1, Santa Fe. 1936.

- Douglas, Frederick H. Santo Domingo Pottery of the "Aguilar" Type, Clearing House for Southwestern Museums, Denver Art Museum, Newsletter No. 37, June 1941.

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