Exceptional Tesuque Pueblo Very Old Pottery Serving Bowl [SOLD]

This circa 1880s pottery bowl from Tesuque Pueblo appears never to have been used.  The interior slip and design are in original condition. The bowl is a little out of alignment in roundness, varying in diameter by 1/4-inch.  The depth is 4-½ inches on one area and 4 inches on another. It appears to have sagged while the clay was still moist or wet. It is those aspects of the bowl that add to its charm.

The double framing lines on the interior of the bowl was most definitely placed free-hand as it is somewhat wavy in style.  The designs on the interior were well executed. A two-inch wide red band was added to the rim area on the exterior of the bowl.  

The rim of the bowl flares out slightly thereby enhancing the view of the interior design. It is safe to say that the designs in the interior are floral in nature—the central one appears to be a vine with seed pods, and the two on the vessel wall appear to be floral elements.

This bowl has a charm related to its primitive nature.  It is pottery of this class that tells us it was made by a potter who made it and designed it to her specifications and her likeness, not necessarily with a sale in mind to a trader or tourist.  It speaks of heart and dedication and love of making pottery for her pleasure.  I find these kinds the most desirable.  This bowl has a soul and is easy to love.

Condition:  this RARE Tesuque Pueblo Very Old Pottery Serving Bowl is in very good condition with one chip on the rim having been glued back in without any attempt to conceal it.

Provenance: from the extensive Southwest Indian Pottery collection of a family from Colorado

Recommended Reading:  Batkin, Jonathan. Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700 - 1940.

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Pottery, Historic Pottery, Tesuque Pueblo