Lucy Lewis Pottery Seed Jar with Acoma Pueblo Flower Design [SOLD]

This black-on-white pottery seed jar was created in 1959 by influential Acoma Pueblo matriarch Lucy M. Lewis. It's a seed jar with a high, wide shoulder and a rim that measures just over an inch in diameter. The vessel's form is stylish and beautiful, and the designs are similarly attractive.

A single motif appears in the typical black pigment. Rather than appearing as some sort of horizontal band circling the piece, this design adorns the top of the jar. It's a five-sided star made of jagged triangular lightning designs. A repeating pattern of parallel line-filled designs forms the interior, while a continuous black form frames the interior patterns to create the larger star. This is well-executed, inventive design work. It looks somewhat simple at first, but it's actually quite complex, which speaks to Lewis' talent.

Rather than the usual soft white tone, the jar has something of a tan glow to it. Fire clouds appear in one area near the rim and another below the shoulder, and the slip has a complex pattern of thin, shallow cracks that is visible when viewed closely. All these variations are results of the pot absorbing a bit more heat than the usual piece. While some will prefer pieces that are perfect, we appreciate the smoky look of this jar.

The bottom of the jar is signed and dated Lucy M. Lewis, Acoma N. Mex 1959. An early dealer's label is affixed to the bottom of the jar. It reads From the Pueblo of Acoma, L.L 2-9, $30.00.

Lucy Lewis (1898-1992) was one of the most widely respected potters from her pueblo. Lewis followed pueblo tradition in every step of pottery production-offering prayers of thanks to Mother Earth for the clay, taking only as much clay as she needed, working the clay with only her hands, forming the vessel from coils of clay, scraping the walls with tools fashioned from gourds, painting the vessel with slips and paints made from clay and vegetal sources and, finally, firing the finished pieces in a handmade outdoor kiln. Lewis was born around 1898 and passed away on March 12, 1992. She spent nearly all her life atop the high mesa of Acoma Pueblo, making pottery since the age of 8. She is largely responsible for the revival of Mimbres black-on-white pottery designs, which are more than 1,000 years old. She was famous, as well, for her exquisite polychrome designs and her fine-line and lightning designs.

Condition: very good condition with the aforementioned issues, which are all inherent to the piece rather than the result of later damage

Provenance: this Lucy Lewis Pottery Seed Jar with Acoma Pueblo Flower Design is from a private Colorado collection

Recommended Reading: LUCY M. LEWIS American Indian Potter by Susan Peterson

Relative Links: Acoma Pueblo, Pueblo Pottery