Historic Zia Pueblo Pottery OLLA with Avian and Floral Designs [SOLD]

This Zia Pueblo pottery jar has everything a collector of historic pottery desires—four-color polychrome, fire cloud, rim ladle wear, and magnificent art.  The water jar is truly a magnificent work to admire.  It has a high shoulder, and the artist chose to place the painted imagery from the base framing lines to the rim as a single canvas, allowing for an expanded scale of elements.

Her choice of design, assuming the painter was also the maker of the jar, was to follow tradition of placing Zia birds and floral elements on the jar, however, she used her artistic talent to make those routine elements less than routine.  Her Zia birds are elegant and regal, standing straight and tall.  The legs stand firmly on a lower framing line, the wing feather stands up firmly and curves beautifully, and the bird’s eye is alert.

The flower arrangement is above and beyond that seen on many jars of the period.  Some petals are orange and others yellow, and each of the petals is filled with pollen.  The flowers spring from a variety of leaves—black split leaves, orange split leaves, and black solid leaves.  The split leaves are evidence of a close relationship with Acoma, as the two pueblos share that design from the late 1800s.   Much thought and effort went into the design of the jar.

The rim shows considerable ladle wear and there is a spot where the ladle handle rested and wore the rim down about a half inch.  Below the pair of lower framing lines is a one-inch wide wiped on red band.

The jar dates to the late 1800s—1880-1890.  It is in marvelous well-used condition.  It is structurally sound.

Condition: this Historic Zia Pueblo Pottery OLLA with Avian and Floral Designs is in very good well-used condition

Provenance:  from the estate of the former Chief Sunny Skies Trading Post, located on the main street in Carlsbad, New Mexico, for over 40 years and which was closed in 1977.  Chief Sunny Sky, whose other name was Clyde Hunt, was from Acoma Pueblo.  He was the son of Chief Big Snake (Edward Hunt) also of Acoma Pueblo.  This collection has remained in the family since the trading post was closed in 1977.

Recommended Reading: The Pottery of Zia Pueblo by Harlow and Lanmon

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