Zia Pueblo Jar with Capped Feathers by Isabel Medina Toribio

This Zia Pueblo jar from the 1920s is a unique and exquisite example of pottery crafted by Isabel Medina Toribio, one of the most significant Zia Pueblo potters of the twentieth century. Her works are featured in major collections, including the Smithsonian Institution, the School for Advanced Research, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

This pottery olla, or water jar, showcases a beautiful composition in black and red over a warm tan slip. The design is organized into a horizontal band that encircles much of the jar's exterior, divided into four distinct horizontal sections. The topmost band features right-facing horizontal feathers with black dots and triangular black tips. A wide orange band, reminiscent of the patterns on many Zia dough bowls, flows in an up, over, and down pattern. The middle band consists of orange rectangular boxes arranged like falling dominoes. The lower design band mirrors the upper band but with left-facing feathers. The lowest band displays the typical polished red underbody.

The jar's abundant capped feathers are related to Puname Polychrome designs, but the rows of tiny black dots are a distinctive innovation by Isabel Medina Toribio [Harlow & Lanmon, 2003: 321]. The jar is in excellent condition for its age, with a minor firecloud on one side, dating back to the 1920s.

Isabel Medina Toribio (ca. 1882-1940), also known as Aitiyé, was an active Zia Pueblo potter during the 1920s and 1930s. Her work is renowned for its excellent craftsmanship and distinctive designs. Common motifs in her pottery include clustered feathers with dotted bodies, elaborate tridents inside capped spirals, linked spirals, and rectangular eyes. These motifs help attribute unsigned pieces to her [ibid, 319-320].

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Zia Pueblo Jar with Capped Feathers by Isabel Medina Toribio is from a private New Mexico collection

Recommended Reading and Reference: The Pottery of Zia Pueblo by Francis H. Harlow and Dwight P. Lanmon

TAGS: Zia Pueblo, Pueblo Pottery, Rosalia Medina Toribio, Isabel Medina Toribio