Extraordinary Zia Pueblo Historic Pottery Jar with Wide Red Band [SOLD]

This small storage jar was made by a potter from Zia Pueblo around the 1920 decade. The vessel shape is proportioned so that the mid-body is 2/3rd up from the base. There are four distinct bands of division-an upper band with painted designs, a second one with a wide, black-edged red band, a third one with painted designs, and the traditional lower one devoid of slip.

The bands with painted designs have an orange-tan slip over which are the painted elements. Starting in the early 1920s, potters began experimenting with this new slip. An additional innovation at the same time was the application of a polished red slip in a wide band on the jar. This red shoulder band existed from 1900 to 1920 but was rarely used after that. The only decoration on this red band is a series of black dots attached to the upper and lower framing lines. Above and below these black framing lines are thin bands of matte red pigment.

The upper band has deer and foliage in black encircling the neck of the jar. The plants have red outlining on the blossoms. The plants and deer are resting on a black outlined matte red narrow band

The painted band below the polished mid-body red band is filled with flowering plants with leaves and red berries. The petals are filled with small dots, probably representing seeds. The lower, undecorated band is traditional stone polished unslipped clay. At its upper end is an unpolished wide red band. This band existed on Zia pottery until about 1935, after which it was eliminated.

The bottom of the jar is concave, the rim is painted black, and a red pigment is applied to the interior of the neck.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Extraordinary Zia Pueblo Historic Pottery Jar with Wide Red Band is from the collection of a client from Colorado

Reference: The Pottery of Zia Pueblo by Harlow and Lanmon

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Zia Pueblo, Historic Pottery