Southwest Indian Pottery Acoma Pueblo, Haak’u Modern

Large Lucy Lewis Jar with 8 Heartline Deer [SOLD]

Lucy Martin Lewis, Acoma Pueblo Pottery Matriarch

Category: Modern
Origin: Acoma Pueblo, Haak’u
Medium: clay, pigment
Size:
5-⅝” Height x 8” Diameter
Item # C4819D

SOLD

This large jar by the renowned Acoma Pueblo potter Lucy Lewis, decorated with eight heartline deer, is a striking example of her mastery in traditional pottery. This piece features traditional black-on-white characteristics of Acoma pottery. However, there is no patterning. Rather, the 8 deer take up the entire composition around the vessel. The heartline deer motif, symbolizing the vital life force and spiritual strength, is meticulously painted, showcasing Lewis's exceptional skill. Each deer is depicted with a heartline running from its mouth to its heart, representing breath and the essence of life. The jar's form and decoration exemplify the blend of artistic beauty and cultural significance, making it an iconic piece of Native American art.

Lucy Martin Lewis, born around 1898 and passing away on March 12, 1992, spent nearly all her life atop the high mesa of Acoma Pueblo, making pottery since the age of seven. She is largely responsible for the revival of the 1,000-year-old Mimbres black-on-white pottery designs and was also famous for her exquisite polychrome, fine-line, and lightning designs. As one of the most widely respected potters from her pueblo and one of the last Acoma matriarchs to live full-time at the Pueblo, she followed pueblo tradition in every step of pottery production. She offered prayers of thanks to Mother Earth for the clay, took only as much clay as she needed, worked the clay with her hands, formed vessels from coils of clay, scraped the walls with tools fashioned from gourds, painted the vessels with slips and paints made from clay and vegetal sources, and fired the finished pieces in a handmade outdoor kiln. Lucy signed her pottery as Lucy M. Lewis.