Red-over-tan Ohkay Owingeh Storage Jar [SOLD]

This is a very traditional Red-over-tan jar dating to the period 1890-1900. The upper half of the vessel was slipped in red clay from the pueblo and then stone-polished to a high luster. It is a beautiful red of the color seen in pre-1900 vessels. The underbody is the natural, unslipped, tan clay of the full vessel that was stone polished without the addition of slip. The natural unslipped interior of the bowl was stone polished as well.

The shape of the bowl is very pleasing. It flares out from the bottom to form a globular body that gracefully curves inward before rising to a short neck that has a gentle concave shape. There are beautiful fire clouds on the tan underbody and on the polished red area that add tremendously to the beauty of the vessel.

There are some cracks in the vessel wall but they have been professionally stabilized to prevent further damage. But no attempt has been made to conceal them. There is some loss of red slip but not sufficient to mar the beauty of the jar.

According to Batkin^¹, pottery making at this pueblo 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.

Provenance: From the estate of Emilio Naranjo (1916-2008), a long-time respected politician from Espanola, New Mexico. Naranjo was a state senator and is credited with single-handedly building the Rio Arriba County Democratic Party and then reigning over it for more than four decades.

Condition: the jar was coated with residue of use and spillage of some substance. It has been cleaned and the cracks have been stabilized without being concealed.

 ¹Reference and Recommended Reading: Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940 by Jonathan Batkin .