Zia Pueblo Polychrome Double-rainbow Design Historic Pottery Jar

The pottery jar, or Tinaja, exemplifies the thick-walled construction typical of Zia Pueblo craftsmanship. The cream slip serving as the background for the design is rag polished to a smooth, lustrous finish. Double rainbows, outlined in black, frame the design, while black-painted birds and associated motifs add striking detail. The jar features a black rim, a single black framing line at the rim, and double framing lines near the base, each with a ceremonial break.

Attributing a specific potter to this jar is speculative, but comparisons with documented examples can provide some guidance. This jar exhibits two design elements that closely resemble those on a jar in the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, recognized as the work of Ascenciona Shije Herrera Galvan (1905-1953) [Harlow and Lanmon, 2003:268]. A photograph from circa 1940 shows her holding a jar with a black bird almost identical to the one on this jar, featuring wide V-shaped tail feathers and wings filled with parallel lines.

Another photograph of a jar by her, dated to circa 1920-1930, displays a similar stack of capped feathers seen on this jar. The primary difference lies in the double rainbow arches, which differ from those in the published photograph. Despite this, two out of three design similarities might justify an attribution to Ascenciona Shije Herrera Galvan.

However, assigning a specific potter's name to this jar is not essential. Its beauty stands on its own, likely dating from around 1930, and it remains unsigned.

Condition: this Historic Zia Pueblo Polychrome Double-rainbow Design Pottery Jar is in very good condition

Provenance: this Zia Pueblo Polychrome Double-rainbow Design Historic Pottery Jar is  originally from the collection of a gentleman from California, now from the collection of the client to whom we previously sold it.

Reference: Harlow, Francis H. and Dwight P. Lanmon. The Pottery of Zia Pueblo, SAR Press, 2003

TAGS: James Stevenson, Zia Pueblo, Pueblo Pottery, Matilda Coxe Stevenson, Historic Pottery