Zuni Olla, c. 1880's
This Zuni olla is 9.5" x 12", c. 1880's, excellent condition with ethnographic wear.
My experience with Zuni pottery shows three major artistic styles during this period. This piece comes from one of those styles. This style typically employs heart-line deer and floral medallions. The other large olla on the site is another of the styles. This could mean these are the work of one lady or her family. See the Suggested Reading below.
The "ethnographic wear" refers to the wear around the rim. This is a result of use in the home of a Zuni Pueblo family in the 1880's or so. It was used as a water storage vessel in the home. There was a ladle in the olla and water would run down the handle and deteriorate the rim. This piece shows relatively little wear, the assumption is that it was not used long in the home, i.e. less than a decade or two. The history endears me to the piece. There is a difference between something the Native people make for themselves and use themselves and something made for trade. The artist loves both but there is a deeper connection to the piece that quenched their families thirst.
Suggested Reading: "The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo" by Dwight Lanmon and Francis H. Harlow is excellent reading on Zuni Pottery.
My experience with Zuni pottery shows three major artistic styles during this period. This piece comes from one of those styles. This style typically employs heart-line deer and floral medallions. The other large olla on the site is another of the styles. This could mean these are the work of one lady or her family. See the Suggested Reading below.
The "ethnographic wear" refers to the wear around the rim. This is a result of use in the home of a Zuni Pueblo family in the 1880's or so. It was used as a water storage vessel in the home. There was a ladle in the olla and water would run down the handle and deteriorate the rim. This piece shows relatively little wear, the assumption is that it was not used long in the home, i.e. less than a decade or two. The history endears me to the piece. There is a difference between something the Native people make for themselves and use themselves and something made for trade. The artist loves both but there is a deeper connection to the piece that quenched their families thirst.
Suggested Reading: "The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo" by Dwight Lanmon and Francis H. Harlow is excellent reading on Zuni Pottery.
