Acoma Polychrome Olla with Continuous Design [SOLD]

Francis Torivio was one of the important matriarchs of Acoma Pueblo pottery families and 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.

This jar is a very attractive oversize olla with a design that is connected and repeated around the jar.  The design is unencumbered and rather simple, which is a great asset.  The orange triangles appear to be rotating in a clockwise direction and surround a pair of rain cloud elements in its eye.  Brown rain clouds are pendant from the bottom of the design and rest on the top of the design.  The whole concept of the design appears to be water, a fitting design for a water jar.

Frances was the mother of Lilly Salvador and Wanda Aragon, both recognized potters of note. She was one of the important matriarchs of Acoma and made large jars in the prime of her life. She was still attending Indian Market in 2001 at the grand age of 96, and proudly displaying smaller items.

Condition: overall excellent condition with some minor spalling of the clay.  It is my understanding that spalling clay is not a fault of the potter but a fault of the clay that was being used in the mid-20^th century.  There were too many impurities in the clay beds from that time.  These impurities eventually pop out of the clay body and leave small depressions.

Provenance:  from a gentleman collector from Arizona

Recommended Reading: Acoma & Laguna Pottery by Rick Dillingham