Polychrome Pottery Jar

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Polychrome Pottery Jar

Place of OriginSanto Domingo Pueblo

Datec. 1865-1875

Dimensions16 × 20 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 × 50.8 cm)

MediumNative clay, pigment

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LineGift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society

Object number

2017.16

Not on View

Label TextThe Pueblo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico are known for the tradition of fine pottery that they have maintained for more than a thousand years. This polychrome pottery jar, which would have been used to store and transport wheat and corn, was created by the people of the Santa Domingo Pueblo (now known as the Kewa Pueblo), which is located halfway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santo Domingo pottery can be identified by its black geometric designs, buff colored clay, and cream slip (diluted clay used as glaze). In the later 19th century, the Santo Domingo Pueblo shunned the influences of the tourist trade and art market, continuing an artistic tradition that was conservative and insular. This jar is remarkable for its combination of beauty, historic significance, and fine condition. The form of this pot is almost perfectly spherical, and the three bands of designs are a notably unusual feature for a polychrome pottery jar of this era.