Historic Small Magnificent Tesuque Pueblo Pottery OLLA [SOLD]

Historic Tesuque Pueblo OLLA: A Museum-Documented Treasure (c. 1890)

This magnificent, small Tesuque Pueblo OLLA is a definitive example of late 19th-century Tewa pottery. Beyond its aesthetic beauty, it carries an ironclad provenance that places it among the most well-documented historic vessels we have handled.

Provenance & Museum Documentation

The authenticity of this jar is established through significant institutional records: A historic paper label is attached to the base, identifying it as part of the Washington College Museum (Catalog No. S C.102D). A handwritten note on the interior further identifies the vessel as Tesuque, dated circa 1890s.

 Founded in 1782, Washington College was the first college chartered in the United States, famously supported by a donation from General George Washington himself.

The Tesuque Aesthetic

The jar aligns perfectly with the stylistic evolution of Tesuque pottery as documented by scholar Jonathan Batkin. In his 1987 work, Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940, Batkin notes:

"Collections made at Tesuque between 1870 and 1880 indicate that white-slipped polychrome pottery was the most popular... Red rim slip was in almost universal use at Tesuque in 1870, but by the 1880s, black paint on white slip began to substitute for the red."

A fine, stone-polished cream slip provides the canvas for the bold black carbon paint creating a striking contrast. The jar retains the traditional red rim, which continues down the interior of the neck, placing its creation firmly in the 1880s or early 1890s.

This OLLA features the "fanciful" and repetitive motifs that became the signature of Tesuque artists during this era. These specific design elements were unique to this Pueblo and were not produced elsewhere, making the jar instantly recognizable to connoisseurs. Those design elements were repetitive, rhythmic geometric bands; body designs of elaborate, fanciful elements characteristic of the late historic period; and a. flat base that reveals the authentic, stone-polished natural clay of the vessel.

With its blend of San Ildefonso-style slip, historic Tesuque pigment work, and verifiable museum history, this jar offers a level of certainty and prestige that is rare in the market today.

Condition: very good condition with minor calcium deposits around the rim which is evident of its utilitarian use and expected of a jar of this vintage.

Provenance: We acquired this Tesuque Pueblo Historic Small Magnificent Pottery OLLA in 1997, sold it to a client from whom we now have it back to offer again

Reference: Batkin, Jonathan. Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940 The Taylor Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center