Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Potsuwi’i Incised Revival Jar [R]

By 1890, pottery production at San Juan (now Ohkay Owingeh) Pueblo had come to a complete halt. In 1930, Regina Cata organized a pottery study group with the intent of reviving pottery production. Eight potters studied ancient potsherds of wares made at San Juan in earlier times and selected Potsuwi’i Incised Ware (1450-1500) as a basis for contemporary pottery type.

Decorative zones of geometric fine lines with selected areas of polished red slip were the final result. At times, the red slip was eliminated in favor of just stone polishing the natural beige slip.

This jar is a fine example of contemporary Potsuwi’i Incised Ware without the use of red slip. The entire vessel was slipped with the natural beige clay and then stone polished. It was then that the incised design was executed and micaceous slip painted into the incisions.

Condition:  original condition

Provenance:  This jar was accessioned by the Denver Art Museum in 1933 and remained in that collection until around 2009 when the museum de-accessioned about 300 pottery items as a fund raiser for new acquisitions.

Recommended Reading: Pueblo Pottery of the New Mexico Indians by Betty Toulouse