Four-color Acoma Polychrome Historic OLLA with Birds [SOLD]

This Acoma polychrome olla showcases the freedom of design that distinguishes some of the most expressive works from the pueblo, moving beyond the more traditional three-tiered layout commonly seen in Acoma jars. While the structure still suggests three horizontal bands, the arrangement is looser and more fluid, allowing the visual elements to interact organically across the surface.

At the top, bold neck designs anchor the composition to the rim. Just below, on the shoulder of the vessel, three birds rendered in an orangish raw sienna hue serve as focal points. These classic Acoma birds — recognizable by their bulbous bellies, arched wings, and swooped tail feathers — embody the pueblo's distinctive avian iconography. Their placement adds movement and life to the jar, setting the stage for the expansive midsection, which is dominated by three large black "propeller" motifs, each flanked by angular and curvilinear graphic elements in black and brown, enhancing the rhythmic complexity of the design.

As noted in The Pottery of Acoma Pueblo by Francis Harlow and Dwight Lanmon (p. 271):
"The realistic depiction of birds on Pueblo Indian pottery commenced with drawings on Mimbres pottery vessels made around 1100... Birds were especially popular at Acoma, Laguna, and Zia pueblos during the last half of the 1800s... Bird designs are one of the signature motifs that collectors look for on Acoma pottery. Parrots, eagles, and birds of uncertain species (which we call straight-beaked birds) were used as decorations on pottery made at Acoma, with parrots being the most popular... Most Acoma birds are depicted amid branches and growing plants with abundant leaves, flowers, and tiny dots that may represent seeds... Acoma birds typically have large triangular black thighs, scrawny linear legs, and clawed feet that grasp onto branches or other motifs. Rarely do Acoma birds' legs and feet 'float' or stand firmly on the ground."

This jar exemplifies that legacy, with bird motifs that are both decorative and deeply rooted in Acoma cultural expression. The combination of four colors — white, black, brown, and orangish raw sienna — along with the fluid composition and signature bird imagery, make this olla an exceptional example of late 19th to early 20th-century Acoma pottery.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: This Four-color Acoma Polychrome Historic OLLA with Birds was originally sold by Adobe Gallery in 1997 and is now being offered through the estate of a longtime gallery client.

Recommended Reading: The Pottery of Acoma Pueblo by Francis Harlow and Dwight Lanmon

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Acoma Pueblo, Historic Pottery