There probably has never been a more beautiful vessel shape than that of the Tewa olla with its rounded body and tall graceful neck that ends in a flared-out rim. The simplicity of the plain polished black finish is a perfect way not to detract from the vessel shape. The burnishing is consistent with the time period of the decade of 1930. The jar is in excellent condition, with only a couple of very small rim chips and very minor surface scratches consistent with what one would expect on a jar of this age.

COMMENTS: Some experts have contended that smothering pottery during the firing process creates a carbon smoke that penetrates the pottery, turning it black. Even though several books describing black pueblo pottery attribute the color change to carbon, the reduction of iron oxide is the correct mechanism. Ceramicists, describing ancient styles of Old World pottery, state that iron impurities in clay form red oxide at red heat, but if air is lacking during firing, iron impurities in clay form black magnetite.