Historic Zuni Pueblo Terrace Rim Bowl, c. 1870s

This historic Zuni Pueblo terrace-rim bowl, dating to the 1870s, is a remarkable example of a style of ceremonial pottery from the pueblo. The bowl features a rounded bottom and a rich red base, a detail characteristic of Zuni ceramics and one that began to disappear by the mid-19th century. Its terraced rim, here representing rainclouds, aligns with traditional Zuni symbolic design and carries ceremonial significance. Each terrace is pierced with a small hole, indicating that eagle down feathers, sacred offerings in Zuni culture, could be affixed as part of ritual use.

The interior of the bowl is decorated with classic Zuni water-associated motifs, including frogs and tadpoles, representing fertility, renewal, and the presence of life-giving water. The exterior carries an equally symbolic visual language, with birds, dragonflies, and stylized rainclouds forming a pattern around the vessel. These creatures are closely linked to Zuni cosmology and agricultural lifeways, reinforcing the vessel's ritual role in calling for rain and abundance.

As documented in The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo by Dwight P. Lanmon and Francis H. Harlow (p. 323), terraced bowls such as this one were used in various ceremonial contexts and are sometimes referred to as prayer meal bowls or earthenware baskets for rain dances. While some examples have three or five terraces, the four-terrace design seen here is the most prevalent form.

Pottery formerly reserved for pueblo ceremonial use began to be produced in the late 1800s as items to satisfy the desire of museums and collectors to acquire religious items from the pueblos. A bowl of this nature, although resembling a true ceremonial bowl, is not a ceremonial one unless actually used for ceremonial purposes. Such items are still being produced today to satisfy demand of collectors.

Condition: very good condition with imperceptible repairs on two of the terraces.

Provenance: This Historic Zuni Pueblo Terrace Rim Bowl, c. 1870s is from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery.

Recommended Reading: The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo by Dwight P. Lanmon and Francis H. Harlow

TAGS: puki depression, pottery, Zuni Pueblo, old pottery