Acoma Pueblo Historic OLLA with Flowers and Heart Line Deer [SOLD]

This Acoma Pueblo olla dates to circa 1910. Its form, its thin walls, and its concave base are typical of the pueblo and time period from which it emerged. It is lightweight and well-balanced with a slight lean, which is visible from certain angles. As far as form goes, it is an appealing piece. We don't know who made it, but it's apparent that she was incredibly skilled.

A wonderful design is repeated three times around the jar's body. Its central element is a flower, with a long, straight stem holding a large group of petals. Smaller stems protrude diagonally, leading to petals that are similarly designed but a bit smaller. Red pigments form diamonds within the petals, adding a welcome touch of color and clarifying to the viewer the significance of the floral designs. A pair of heart line deer approaches the flower, with one on each side just above the smaller petals. Semicircles with curved lines set in the interiors form antlers. This is a notably unique design, and it works perfectly on this vessel.

Each of the three instances of this design appears within an archway of distinctively Acoma geometric motifs. These archways flow beautifully up and over the plant and animal designs, reaching from the lower design band to just below the rim. They meet at their ends, forming a continuous pattern that circles the entire jar. All of this appears in black, with the only appearance of red being the floral embellishments. This is a beautiful example of Acoma pottery from the tail end of the historic era.

"Four-legged animals on Acoma vessels are not as common as they are on pottery from Zuni Pueblo, but the depictions from the two villages are very similar. The animals on Acoma pottery have been variously identified as deer, elk, antelope, and several other species. A typical example is black, faces right, has an eye with a pupil and antlers on its head, usually has an open strip from mouth to the center of the body containing the so-called heart line, has an open area on its rump together with a stubby tail, and is supported by four legs on which the feet are depicted by means of one or two toes. The termination of the heart line is usually in the form of an arrowhead. The white area on the rump is usually a large circle at Acoma, in contrast to the sometimes smaller noncircular opening seen on Zuni animals. There are of course numerous small (and sometimes large) variations from the most common form. The depiction of animals may have commenced as early as the 1840s and was well established by the 1870s." [Lanmon & Harlow, 2013:303]

Condition: very good condition with some professional stabilization and restoration to a cluster of thin cracks

Provenance: this Acoma Pueblo Historic OLLA with Flowers and Heart Line Deer is from a private Colorado collection

Reference: "Mammals, Circa 1850-1920" The Pottery of Acoma Pueblo by Dwight P. Lanmon and Francis H. Harlow

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Acoma Pueblo, Historic Pottery