Historic Zia Pueblo Polychrome Utilitarian Pottery Bowl

Zia Pueblo Food Bowl (c. 1930s-50s)

This Zia Pueblo food bowl, crafted by an unidentified potter, is a striking example of the experimentation with slip colors that began in the 1920s. Its exterior is finished with a soft, beautiful orange slip-a color that gives the piece a unique and appealing aesthetic.

A single design band gracefully circles the bowl's exterior, flowing from the rim down across the upper two-thirds of the vessel. This band features a dynamic interplay of semicircular sections of orange slip beneath black triangular forms. The area between these designs is painted a vibrant red, forming a wide band with gentle arches and jagged peaks. The designs harmonize beautifully, creating a seamless, rhythmic flow.

The interior of the bowl was wiped with a red slip and then polished to a fine sheen, a traditional approach for food bowls which are not painted with designs.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Historic Zia Pueblo Polychrome Utilitarian Pottery Bowl is from the estate of a Santa Fe resident

Reference: Harlow, Francis H., and Dwight P. Lanmon. The Pottery of Zia Pueblo, SAR Press, Santa Fe, 2003.

TAGS: Zia Pueblo, historic pottery, contemporary pottery