Special Value Offer: Historic Kewa Pueblo Well-used Dough Bowl [SOLD]

Special Value Offer: The consignor has suggested a 55% price reduction from $4500 to $2000. This is the second price reduction.

After this historic dough bowl served its owners for the original purpose of making bread, it must have been replaced by a commercial bowl and then relegated to the wood shed. Over time, it found a new use-one which we cannot definitely define. It appears from the exterior that it was placed on an open fire to heat or to cook something. The interior shows what appear to be piñon sap and cooked evergreen needles. Perhaps piñon pine sap was boiled in the bowl for use for some purpose and possibly evergreen needles were cooked as well. This is only speculation but for whatever purpose the bowl was re-cycled, it must have served well.

It is a phenomenal example-perhaps one of the best-of native use of what was at hand when something was needed. This style of use must have occurred decades ago before bowls of this type became rather pricey. It probably was used at a time when it was not in demand by collectors or dealers willing to pay today's rates; otherwise it probably would have been sold by the owners rather than used for whatever purpose it was. I would estimate it to date to the mid-20th century.

Condition: structurally in very good condition, but shows extensive use

Provenance: this Kewa Pueblo Well-used Dough Bowl is from a gentleman in Santa Fe

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