Zuni Polychrome OLLA with Heartline Deer and Birds [SOLD]

This polychrome pottery OLLA was made by Jennie Laate. Laate was born at Acoma Pueblo. After marrying a Zuni man and moving to his pueblo, she adopted Zuni styles and materials, so her work is classified as Zuni pottery. With this piece, she offered traditional Zuni designs on a modern vessel.

Four design bands circle the exterior, with two containing repeating heartline deer, one containing orange birds, and one containing traditional design elements. The exaggerated size of the heartline arrows is a nice touch, as is the loose nature of the birds' forms. Two large rosette designs appear on opposite sides of the OLLA. The brown and orange pigments work well atop the cream slip, and the design work is intricate and engaging, resulting in an appealing example of modern Zuni pottery.

The bottom of the OLLA is signed Jennie Laate Zuni, NM.

Jennie Laate (1933-1994) was an accomplished potter at her home of Acoma Pueblo. She married a Zuni Pueblo man and moved to his pueblo. Jennie was the art teacher at Zuni High School where she taught the students how to make pottery. She taught them all the traditional techniques of gathering, cleaning and working the clay, and gathering and processing the slip for the pigments. The school had an electric kiln, so she let the students use it rather than fire their pottery outdoors. She felt that learning to process the clay and form the pottery was sufficient for class study.

What is a Heartline?  The heartline is used primarily by Zuni Pueblo potters and can be seen in many animals – usually a deer (heartline deer).  The line from the mouth to the heart signifies the "breath of life."

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Zuni Polychrome OLLA with Heartline Deer and Birds is from a private collection from the Midwest

Reference: Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2,000 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf.

TAGS: Acoma Pueblo. Zuni Pueblo, Southwest Indian Pottery, Jennie Laate