Traditional Kewa Pueblo Chile Serving Bowl [SOLD]

Chile bowls have their start in life as any other pottery bowl—that is they have a clay bottom formed in a puki and side walls that grow upward one coil at a time.  Their walls are scraped and sanded and eventually painted with a design of the choice of the potter or a design fostered by tradition.  The best view of a bowl is from the side at a slight angle so one can appreciate the decorated exterior and have a glimpse of the interior below the rim.  The interior of a utilitarian bowl is not decorated but the patina developed over years or decades of use is worth viewing.

This Traditional Kewa Pueblo Chile Serving Bowl, like many chile bowls, is decorated on the exterior with black painted designs that face back-to-back and would overlay one another if one was laid over another one.  The interior is a beautiful cream color, stone-polished, highly burnished finish. The rim is painted black and features a ceremonial line break.  There is a pair of black framing line at the rim and a pair of them below the design. The ceremonial line break at the rim continues through the framing lines and design panel.

Red clay slip was wiped on the vessel wall below the design panel and stone polished.  This is traditional to Kewa Pueblo.  This bowl probably dates to mid-20^th century

Condition: very good condition.

Provenance: from a resident of Santa Fe

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