Acoma Pueblo Large Jar with Mimbres Designs [SOLD]

The tempering agent used by Acoma potters has always been ground up pottery shards, so every Acoma pottery vessel or figurine one sees today or in the past has a continuous history incorporated into its construction.  Even though Acoma potters had been picking up prehistoric pottery shards for centuries, it was not until the late 1800s that they started reproducing some of the designs they were witnessing on the shards and it was not until the mid-1950s that they started using the Mimbres designs on their wares.

This Acoma jar by Sarah Garcia features two very large Mimbres-style beetles or other bug that each take up a prominent part of the vessel wall.  It is this magnified image that makes the design even more interesting than just the use of the bug symbol.  It is a strong and bold image and is appropriate for the scale of the jar.

Condition:  The jar is in very good condition.  There are just a couple spall spots but they are insignificant.  The jar is signed Sarah Garcia Acoma, New Mex.

Provenance: from the collection of Katherine H. Rust

Recommended Reading: Acoma and Laguna Pottery by Rick Dillingham