Historic Kewa Pueblo Large Storage Jar [SOLD]

There have been differing opinions concerning dating pottery of the historic period.  Some have taken the opinion that circa 1880, the time of the arrival of the train to New Mexico, was the end of the historic period.  This opinion was based on the arrival of tourists on the train and a subsequent influence on potters to make pottery to satisfy the tourist demand, thus changing the style and purpose of traditional pottery.

A second opinion expressed is that a reasonable cut off date is 1920, because it took that long for the arrival of outsiders to cause an influence on pottery styles.  It was also at that time that the Museum of New Mexico was working with potters to produce better works for the tourist market and also the year that the Santa Fe Indian Market held its first market.

A third opinion is that 1940 is a more reasonable cut-off date for the historic period.  Partially responsible for that date is Jonathan Batkin’s book Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940 in which he states that the book “interprets a large and important public collection of historic New Mexico Pueblo pottery” (from the Taylor Museum collection).  He further states “This catalog’s closing date of 1940 was chosen because pottery making has become so popular that the tradition since then deserves a separate study.  In many cases, pottery making in the pueblos in 1940 was a revived craft.” Batkin, 1987

It is fair to state that most pottery of the historic period was not signed by the potter and most from the contemporary period was signed by the potter.  Even unsigned pottery can sometimes be attributed to a specific potter based on earlier works by that potter that were documented.

All of this above information is meant to lead us to an attribution of this jar.  The design of the floating band around the body of the jar has appeared in almost identical form on a dough bowl we had in the gallery previously and also on a jar in a related form.  That tells us that a specific potter liked this design enough to use it more than once. Unfortunately, we do not know who she was, only that she was an experienced potter in making large bowls and jars.  Someday, hopefully, a documented jar or bowl with this design will be located and the mystery then solved.

We need not know who the maker of a jar of this magnificence was in order for us to appreciate and enjoy it.  The shape of the vessel is excellent, providing a large area on which to paint the body design. The small or short neck enhances the largeness of the body.  The one-inch wide wiped on red band below the decorated panel is indicative of a pre-1920 period. Storage jars rarely indicate wear from having been used because they generally were used for dry items, not water, so no stains resulted.  It is difficult to determine if this one had use at the pueblo before having been sold.

Condition: this Historic Kewa Pueblo Large Storage Jar is in very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Albuquerque

Recommended Reading:

- Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940 by Jonathan Batkin

- A River Apart: The Pottery of Cochiti & Santo Domingo Pueblos edited by Valerie K. Verzuh