Historic Santo Domingo, Kewa Pueblo Bichrome Serving Bowl

There is something wonderful about being able to immerse the senses in history.  To lay hands on this bowl, to feel its story, and to take its elements in with the eyes, is a most special experience.  For those who enjoy Pueblo pottery, we wonder what daily life was like, what the circumstances were around the creation of utilitarian pieces, and about those who created them.  This serving bowl offers a small peek at just that—daily life in Santo Domingo Pueblo.  

A cream slip was applied throughout over a very substantial, thick-walled coil built serving bowl.  The base of solid red slip separates itself from the band of designs on the exterior of the bowl.  The patterns themselves are trimmed with two sets of lines, breaking in one place, potentially in spirit line-like fashion.  Repeating rectangles and curved lines evoke the ever prayer for rains over desert mountain scapes. Finally, the rim has been painted dark brown, to match the other designs.     

Because of its wear pattern, this bowl can be dated to the 1920s.  Running one’s eyes or hands over the bowl, and especially its interior, it is clear it has been used.  The potter took the time to decorate the exterior of a bowl that was to be required in daily life when it was not necessary to do so.  It is easy to enjoy such a piece— a unique experience to behold a physical snapshot of Pueblo life, 100 years past.

Condition: The interior is worn, but the bowl itself is well maintained. Overall, the bowl is in good condition. 

Provenance: this Historic Santo Domingo, Kewa Pueblo Bichrome Serving Bowl is from a private collection of a resident of Albuquerque

Recommended Reading: A River Apart: The Pottery of Cochiti & Santo Domingo Pueblos by Valerie Verzuh, et al.

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Historic Pottery, Kewa Pueblo - Santo Domingo Pueblo