Late Historic Laguna Pueblo Polychrome Olla [R]

We have been told that there is no word for "art" in the native languages of New Mexico and that what we perceive as art is part of the daily life and experience in a native household.    Everything in their world has a connection to their religion and to their daily lives without there being a separation between the two.  Beautification is accomplished in appreciation to Mother Earth for yielding up the clay and paint sources for the potter to use in making a vessel.  Native potters, in their daily lives, produce objects of beauty that we, as collectors, consider to be art.  We are fortunate to live in a state where there are so many talented potters whom we call artists.

This jar, which we believe was made at Laguna Pueblo at or just before 1940, is a marvelous example of a jar in which a potter expressed her own interest.  The boldness of the design with the NASCAR-type flags certainly is unusual for a pueblo design but obviously meant something to the potter.  The other designs that look somewhat like boomerangs also are quite unique.  Perhaps they represent a combination of corn and rain clouds, but that is only speculation.

The jar is not too large but is very interesting in presentation.  The boldness of the design overcomes the smaller jar size, a feat of which the potter was probably well aware.  This is a jar that requires and demands attention.  One cannot pass it by without stopping for a look.

Condition: structurally in excellent condition but does have some abrasion to the design but it is not significant.

Provenance: from the estate of Reggie Sawyer, the Hanging Tree Gallery,  Albuquerque

Recommended Reading: Acoma and Laguna Pottery by Rick Dillingham