Polychrome Large Water Jar or Olla [SOLD]

The pueblo Indian’s innate ability to sense the harmony of nature, to perceive its beauty as a religious phenomenon that pervades all phases of daily life, and to create from an ancient tradition new objects of enduring artistic beauty are virtues expressing their lives. Indian art is superior to anything learned because it constitutes a direct and unlearned response to a native environment.

Why would a pueblo woman, who had more household work than one could possibly accomplish, then spend hours and hours beautifully painting an olla that was going to sit on the floor of the house and hold water? The embodiment of her conception of use and beauty in the materials of daily life is art in its widest sense, adorning and giving meaning to everything in daily life.

This marvelous olla expresses energy at its most dynamic, with rain clouds whirling around the center of the universe. The adjoining design features a plethora of clouds and rain circling over the earth. The potter chose to use the entire vessel as her canvas without subdividing it into lateral or vertical divisions. Except for the orange/red underbody, the entire upper body is covered with design, and expertly so. This is the work of a master artisan.