Kewa (Santo Domingo) Pueblo Small Olla [SOLD]

This child-size water jar was most certainly made for local use at the pueblo.  It dates to the late 1800s and, at that time, very little pottery of this style was being made for sale.  Mr. Seligman, at the Santo Domingo Trading Post at that time, purchased pottery to sell to travelers on the AT&SF train which made a daily stop in front of his trading post.  He was very particular of the quality of pottery he purchased and this one would have been too crudely painted for his tastes.

It is these charming jars that now appeal to collectors simply because they are of the style made for local use by the pueblo women.  The jar was beautifully formed, an indication of an experienced potter, but the painting is thick and loose, an indication that the potter was of advanced age.  The black vegetal paint is a deep color and strong in presentation. It is the boldness of the paint that makes the jar so appealing.

Condition: a couple of minor cracks but they have been stabilized

Recommended Reading: A River Apart: The Pottery of Cochiti & Santo Domingo Pueblos, edited by Valerie K. Verzuh

Provenance: from the extensive collection of a Santa Fe resident who is unfortunately moving to another city and found it necessary to greatly reduce her collection.