Acoma Four-color Olla with Parrot Design [SOLD]

Frances Torivio was a sister of Lolita Concho and the mother of Lilly Salvador and Wanda Aragon. She was one of the important matriarchs of Acoma and made large jars in the prime of her life. She was still attending the Santa Fe Indian Market in 2001 at the grand age of 96, and proudly displaying smaller items.

She was one of the important matriarchs of Acoma Pueblo pottery families and had gained fame as an outstanding potter.  In 1976, she taught traditional pottery-making classes not only for her own family, but for many, many more at the pueblo.   She once described how she and her sister, Lolita Concho, learned pottery making the hard way, without someone to teach them.  Torivio gained fame as an outstanding potter, as did her sister.

Torivio never fell into the trend of other Acoma potters who started painting green ware pottery or firing in a commercial kiln.  She always continued following ancient techniques of acquiring her clay from Mother Nature, grinding up potsherds for temper, hand coiling the pottery, using all native materials for paints, and firing the pottery in the traditional outdoors technique.

This jar is a small water jar with parrots and rainbows as the prime design.  Rainbows of two different colors hover over parrots on opposing sides, and parrots perched on flowers appear of opposing sides. The standard three colors of white, black and red appear with a fourth color of rose.  The jar is well constructed and beautifully painted.

Condition:  very good condition

Provenance: from a gentleman in Colorado

Recommended Reading: Acoma and Laguna Pottery by Rick Dillingham