Our first thought when seeing this dough bowl was that it was made by Monica Silva because of the vessel shape and the rim, however, we believe it pre-dates her arrival at what was Santo Domingo Pueblo at the time.  She arrived at the pueblo sometime around 1920 but this bowl appears to date between 1890 and 1900 in our opinion. 

The shape of the dough bowl is so graceful in the manner in which it rises from the base to a gentle curve near the rim at which point it curves in slightly and is capped by a half-inch black rim that stands upright.  The coloration of the white slip has turned to a beautiful cream, an indication of significant age.  Another indication often used to date pottery is the red slip that is added over the base just below the design area.  It has been stated that the wider the red band, the older the pottery.  This red band measures about 2-3/4 inches, which is quite significant.

This is one of the most beautiful Kewa dough bowls we have seen in quite some time.  It is bold in design but graceful in shape.  They don't come any better than this.

Condition:  The bowl is in really great condition.

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

Provenance: from a Santa Fe resident who had purchased it from another Santa Fe resident.