Santo Domingo Pueblo Aguilar Sisters Historic Pottery Water Jar

This Santo Domingo Pueblo water jar, created by Felipita Aguilar Garcia, Asunción Aguilar Caté, and Mrs. Ramos Aguilar, is an exceptional example of early 20th-century pottery from the pueblo. The jar features a long, graceful neck, a softly turned lip, and a well-balanced shoulder placed at the midpoint of the vessel, all resting on a small base. A white slip covers the surface, providing a crisp background for the boldly painted black design. The deep black pigment, fired into the surface, contrasts beautifully with the white slip and highlights the clarity and strength of the composition.

The painted design is characteristic of their refined technique. Each brushstroke is confident and fluid, showing no hesitation or overworking. The rim is painted, and the neck is divided into two decorative bands. The shoulder features five circular motifs, each separated by open space. These are believed to be abstract depictions of rain clouds — a highly unusual and subtle design choice. A spirit line moves through one of the cloud forms, linking the motifs above and below the shoulder. Beneath the shoulder, a bold angular pattern adds a sense of energy to the overall composition.

Felipita Aguilar, along with her sister Asunción Aguilar Caté and sister-in-law Mrs. Ramon Garcia, belonged to a small group of highly skilled potters working at Santo Domingo (now Kewa) Pueblo in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their work is recognized for its innovation within tradition, balancing strong geometry with subtly distinctive motifs, as seen in this striking water jar.

Relative to the Black-on-cream pottery by the Aguilar family, we give credit to the three potters because it is not clear which of the three made a specific jar. All three potters worked during the same period of time, and the work is easily identified as having been made by one of the three, but we know no way to identify which potter made a specific Black-on-cream piece.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: This Santo Domingo Pueblo Aguilar Sisters Historic Pottery Water Jar is from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery.

Recommended Reading: THE POTTERY OF SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO: A Detailed Study of its Decoration. Memoirs of the Laboratory of Anthropology, Volume 1, Santa Fe. 1936. Chapman, Kenneth M. (1875-1968)

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, Kewa - Santo Domingo Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery, Ceremonial breaks, Felipita Aguilar Garcia, Asuncion Aguilar Caté, and Mrs. Ramos Aguilar