Ohkay Owingeh Child-Size Black Water Jar [SOLD]

This is a very traditional San Juan Black-on-grey olla dating to the period 1890-1900. Rather than being in the full size of water jars, it is small in scale, a size referred to as a child’s jar, not meaning it was made by a child but perhaps made for a young girl to practice walking with it on her head in the traditional pueblo manner when going for water.  These small vessels were also made to sell to travelers who preferred small ones for easy conveyance.

The upper half of the vessel was slipped in red clay from the pueblo and then stone-polished to a high luster. The underbody is the natural, un-slipped, tan clay of the full vessel that was stone polished without the addition of slip.  The jar was then fired in a reduction firing, resulting in the black-on-grey coloration.

The shape of the jar is very traditional and is very pleasing. It flares out from its concave bottom to form a globular body that gracefully curves upward before switching from convex to concave and rising to a graceful neck that continues to a rolled out rim that has a fluted edge. The interior of the neck is stone polished for a short distance.

According to Batkin*, pottery making at San Juan (now Ohkay Owingeh) almost died out by 1900 except for an occasional piece made for household use or for sale or trade. There was a revival in the 1930s but it was of a different style. It is difficult to find pieces of this size from this time period.

There is something about traditional wares when in diminutive form.  They have a special look that is appealing, a look that brings a smile and usually a comment of “how charming.”

Condition:  very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a family in Colorado

Reference:  *Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940 by Jonathan Batkin.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery