Kewa Pueblo Twentieth Century Pottery Dough Bowl [SOLD]

The pueblo potters have traditionally stayed with design patterns used by their mothers and grandmothers and rarely deviated from that policy, including Santo Domingo Pueblo.  It is not unexpected that this bowl from the mid twentieth century would feature a very traditional Santo Domingo design of a series of cream circles created by outlining the surrounding area in black pigment.  Between each circle is a vertical line that essentially sets each circle in a box.

In 2009, Santo Domingo Pueblo's tribal council decided to change the pueblo's name back to the ancestral name Kewa Pueblo (pronounced KEE-wah).  Although the pueblo name is Kewa, there has been no change in pottery designation: it still retains the name Santo Domingo Polychrome.  

This design is simple and one of the most desired by collectors.  It represents the clean and uncluttered concept prevalent at Santo Domingo in the early 20th century.  The circle elements on the body are bold and strong and that is their appeal.

The rim was painted black with a ceremonial line break.  Directly below the rim is a framing line, also with a ceremonial break.  Another framing line is below the design panel. It, too, has a ceremonial line break.  The interior of the bowl was slipped in red clay.

Condition:  this Kewa Pueblo Twentieth Century Pottery Dough Bowl is in very good condition with minor abrasions

Provenance: from the collection of a Santa Fe resident.

Recommended Reading: A River Apart: The Pottery of Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblos by Valerie Verzuh, et al.