Adobe Gallery Blog

Water-carrying canteens have been made by the pueblo people for several hundred years, long before the arrival of Europeans. Interestingly enough, the shape of canteens has changed very little in this time. Apparently, the users were quite satisfied with the vessel shape as it was.

The design field is slipped in a creamy white slip on which is prominently displayed a wide-eyed Zia bird above which is a red design that could represent rain clouds. A single flower sprouts up in two branches below the bird. Two handles are on the sides of the body, pierced to provide for lacing a leather strap through.

It appears that the canteen is as old as the 1930s but a date cannot be absolutely stated. It is not signed, but the matte wiped-on red band below the design panel is indicative of an earlier age when pottery was not signed by the maker. A metal stand has been fabricated to permit the canteen to be displayed in a forward facing position.

Condition: the handle on the right side of the canteen has been broken off and glued back in place in a very professional manner and the break is not easily noticeable.
Provenance: from the collection of a Santa Fe resident
Recommended Reading: The Pottery of Zia Pueblo by Francis Harlow and Dwight Lanmon

Subject: Zia Pueblo Polychrome Canteen with Zia Bird Design
Potter Unknown
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Zia Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 6" tall x 7" wide x 3-1/2" deep
Item # C3364B