Stone Polished Black Child’s Water Jar [SOLD]

For those who like small vessels, this is a must! This is one of the nicest small San Juan Pueblo polished black ollas on the market. Its shape is faithfully reproduced from a large jar down to this size, a size frequently called a Child’s Water Jar.   It is the traditional San Juan style with a polished black upper body and polished gray underbody, which has been made for centuries. In these jars, the red slip is wiped over the upper 2/3^rd of the vessel body and the lower 1/3^rd left without slip.  Both upper and lower portions are then stone polished.  When reduction fired, the red changes to black and the tan underbody changes to gray.  A very fine fluted or wavy rim serves as the vessel's only deviation from a plain surface.  The interior of the neck is matte finish.  It probably dates to circa 1900-1930 period.

Condition:  The condition is very good. The previous owner had two very small rim chips professionally restored.  There is a small area of exfoliation at mid-body.

Recommended Reading:  Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940 by Jonathan Batkin. This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery.

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Colorado