Adobe Gallery Blog

Subject: Kewa Pueblo Aguilar Polychrome Jar

Category: Pottery | Posted by Al Anthony | Wed, Jan 14th 2015, 9:55am

In this jar, the artisan used a combination of the Black-on-cream style and the black and red style she had developed. The combination of the two styles is rather unusual and enormously striking. She decorated the neck with simple black lines expanding outward from black parallel lines over a cream background.  The mid-body of the vessel features strong brick-red geometric elements, outlined by a cream background and separated by black geometric elements.  The lower body is traditional brick-red coloration. The underbody is slightly concave.Asunción Aguilar Caté and Felipita Aguilar Garcia, two sisters from Santo Domingo Pueblo created lasting pieces of pottery that live on through the years.  Little is know about the two sisters aside from information that is printed in a few educational pamphlets.

We do know that around 1910, sales began to drop for the two women.  The padre in their pueblo encouraged the sisters to create a unique piece of art.  One of the sisters preferred to pot with cream colored slips and the other preferred red.  Together they produced historic and unique art, different from many of their contemporaries.

This piece seems to have been created by Asunción because of the black and red style.   The contrast of the black and red was not immediately popular, but together they made a new style that lasted into the late 1900s.