Historic Zia Pueblo Polychrome Utilitarian Pottery Dough Bowl

This food bowl was made by a potter who is not identified at this time. It likely was made in the 1930s to 1950s. Zia potters began experimenting with a new overall slip color in the 1920s. The color is a soft orange as seen on the exterior of this bowl.

A single design band circles the exterior, reaching from the rim down and covering the upper two thirds of the bowl. Semicircular sections of orange slip appear beneath triangular forms in black, repeatedly, hanging down from the rim and rising from below. The area in between the semicircles is painted red, forming a wide band with gentle arches and jagged peaks. The designs flow beautifully around the exterior, and the coloration will appeal to many.

The interior was wiped with a red slip which was then polished to a fine sheen. Interiors of food bowls are not painted with designs.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Historic Zia Pueblo Polychrome Utilitarian Pottery Dough Bowl is from the estate of a Santa Fe resident

Reference: Harlow, Francis H., and Dwight P. Lanmon. The Pottery of Zia Pueblo, SAR Press, Santa Fe, 2003.

TAGS: Zia Pueblo, historic pottery, contemporary pottery