Jar

CultureAncestral Pueblo (also known as Anasazi), New Mexico

Date1000-1300

MediumClay and pigment

DimensionsOverall: 19 × 18 3/4 inches (48.26 × 47.63 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Henry I. Marder

Object numberF88-10

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

North American Indian Art

Terms

DescriptionLarge black-on-white decorated globular jar (olla) with typical short neck. Old repair on lip of jar with some chip losses. over grey slip isolated within a band of equally weighted black interlocking scroll motifs which terminate in stepped elements. is opposed to a large petal motif situated around the neck of the jar. Three bands of varying widths are placed on the short neck. a fire-cloud is visible as is some warpage to the body of the jar. stress crack is visible on the bottom of the jar.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

The Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest have a long tradition of ceramic arts now considered among the most accomplished in the world. It first flourished around 1,000 years ago within the ancient Anasazi and Mimbres cultures and stands today as an unbroken continuum in both forms and techniques. This monumental jar is exemplary of the hand-built, finely proportioned volumetric shapes that characterize much of the ware. The painted design defines four distinct areas of the jar's form: the neck, shoulder, body and underbody; each has been treated as a separate field, which together establishes a unified pictorial composition.

Published References

Torrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Cohen, Robert, et al., Ceramics: Highlights from the Collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Museum (January 1, 2016), 65.

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