Acoma Pueblo Wedding Vase with Zuni Designs [SOLD]

This polychrome wedding vase was created at Acoma Pueblo. It is unsigned, and we would estimate that it dates to the 1920s or 1930s. The vessel was formed, painted, and fired with skill and precision, resulting in a piece that will likely appeal to many.

The vessel curves upward from the flat base in an olla-like manner, with a sharp shoulder. On the sides where the two spouts emerge, the shoulder curves inward just a bit before turning back out, forming soft S shapes. A clay semicircle links the two spouts by emerging from the interior edges of each of their rims.

A beautiful design appears twice on the vessel's surface. It's a spiral form, with capped feather designs hanging from its exterior. Below the spouts, the spiral reverses its course. Additional hachured forms emerge from these smaller spirals, reaching up to the spouts. The white slip, which covers even the flat base, is a perfect canvas for the bold orange and black pigments.

The design is one borrowed from Zuni Pueblo and is a version of a Rainbird.  Take notice of the bird's beak, then follow the curve down to near the base of the vessel to see the bird's eye.  Resting on the shoulder of the vessel are the wings and tail.  

What is the Purpose of a Wedding Vase?

Condition: excellent condition, light abrasions from handling, no restoration or repair

Provenance: this Acoma Pueblo Wedding Vase with Zuni Designs is from a private Colorado collection

Recommended Reading: The Pottery of Acoma Pueblo by Dwight P. Lanmon and Francis H. Harlow, 2013. Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe.

TAGS: Acoma Pueblo, Pueblo Pottery, Zuni Pueblo, SHE-WE-NA