Laguna Pueblo Small Pottery OLLA [SOLD]

When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway arrived in New Mexico in 1879, it made a daily stop at Laguna Pueblo.  It stopped long enough to allow passengers to get out of the train and visit with the pueblo residents and, in most cases, make a purchase from the potters.  Laguna potters readily adapted their wares to items they thought the travelers would like as well as items that they could easily carry on the train conveniently.  They made traditional water jars and bowls with which they were familiar, only they made them in diminutive scale.

This small water jar is typical of the size made for the tourist trade.  It was not a size that had a function for a pueblo household. Interestingly, no shortcuts were taken by potters in making these smaller items.  All materials were traditional to the pueblo and were the same materials used in pottery made for their own use. Only the size was different.

This Southwest Indian Pottery jar is the typical shape of a Laguna water jar.  It has a bulbous body with a curving neck. The body was slipped with white clay over which was painted the design with brown pigment. The rim and lower framing lines were executed in brown pigment and the framing lines feature a ceremonial line break. The bottom is concave, as in a larger version.  It is estimated that the jar is from the late 19th century.

Condition: this Laguna Pueblo Small Pottery OLLA is in very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of Robert Nichols, former Santa Fe collector and dealer who passed away in 2018.  This was purchased from Robert while he was still operating his gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe.

Recommended Reading:  Acoma & Laguna Pottery by Rick Dillingham