Native American, Southwestern United States, New Mexico, Acoma Pueblo, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. This is a stunning and large hand-built pottery vessel in the form of a traditional olla storage vessel. The terracotta surface is slip covered in gray-white pigment and then painted with intricate patterns of abstract geometric motifs. The beautiful decorative program consists of a register of repeating stepped, linear, and triangular patterns. The upper shoulder and neck are similarly painted with bold motifs. The rim is a solid black, leading into the deep interior. The base is slightly concave, and both the base and interior of the mouth is a solid terracotta color, while the rest is an ash gray. A gorgeous example from this Puebloan culture that uses the coil-and-scrape method! Size: 12" Diameter x 11" H (30.5 cm x 27.9 cm)

Acoma potters would ultimately embrace horror vacui (literally, "the fear of empty space") in their designs, which was not only commercially successful - complexity equals value is a simple enough formula - but also aesthetically distinct from the work that preceded it, as evidenced in this beautiful vessel.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private Eagle, Colorado, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s

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#168400

Minor surface abrasions and nicks to rim, otherwise intact and excellent. Fading and chipping to some pigments and surface discoloration, but overall excellent preservation and sharp motifs.