Ohkay Owingeh Red-on-tan Jar [SOLD]

This is a very traditional Ohkay Owingeh [formerly San Juan Pueblo] Red-on-tan jar dating to the early 1900s. The upper half of the vessel is slipped in stone-polished red clay from the pueblo and then stone-polished to a high luster, and the underbody is the natural, unslipped stone-polished tan clay of the full vessel that was stone polished without the addition of slip.

The shape of the jar is very pleasing, with an in-sloping upper body. The rim has a very slight fluting that is more obvious to touch than sight. The interior is natural tan clay left in an unpolished, but finished state. Holding it in both hands is very sensual.

There is one small rim chip that is more visible from the inside of the rim than from the outside. It is really a marvelous small jar.

According to Batkin¹, pottery making at 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.

Item Provenance: A label on the underside shows Trujillo Trading Post, Route 1 –Pojoaque, Santa Fe, New Mexico.