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Home > Art > Zuni k’yabokya de’ele (water jar)

Zuni k’yabokya de’ele (water jar)

A three-color Zuni polychrome olla (water jar) features white slip with black and red painted decoration.
Artist

Unknown Artist

Date

c. 1720

Medium

Ceramic

Object Type

Pottery

Dimensions

10 x 12 in. (25.4 x 30.5 cm)

Collecting Area

Native American Pottery

Credit Line

The Vilcek Foundation

Accession Number

VF2015.04.01

Copyright

© The Vilcek Foundation

Tags
bird ceramic cloud New Mexico olla pottery rain rain cloud water jar zuni
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Currently on loan

Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery is on view at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture from July 31, 2022 to May 29, 2023. The exhibition will open at the Vilcek Foundation on July 13, 2023.

Visit GroundedInClay.org
A three-color Zuni polychrome olla (water jar) features white slip with black and red painted decoration.

About the Object

This three-color Zuni polychrome olla (water jar) features white slip with black and red painted decoration. Throughout the neck and body is an expansive rain bird design. On the neck is a repeating pattern comprised of a rain bird spiral that slightly expands outward into hachured (rain lines) bands. The much larger rain bird motif present on the body is also referred to as the “eye of the storm.” The so-called storm begins with the rain bird’s spiraled beak; as it grows into large bands of hachures, the rain lines become more horizontal possibly to signify wind. Additionally, red triangles are dispersed throughout the body and may signify clouds.

 

Additional Information

The Pueblo of Zuni is an Indigenous homeland located in northwestern New Mexico. The A:shiwi (Zuni people) continue to observe their religious and cultural traditions, which are tied to their sacred homeland and the surrounding landscape. One expression of their cultural preservation is their art production of jewelry, paintings, and pottery.

Unknown Artist;
Turner Collection, Albuquerque, NM;
Private Collection, Santa Fe, NM;
[The Owings Gallery, Santa Fe, NM];

Santa Fe. Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery (July 30, 2022-May 29, 2023); New York. Vilcek Foundation and Metropolitan Museum of Art (July 13, 2023-June 2, 2024); Houston. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (October 27, 2024-January 19, 2025); St. Louis. St. Louis Art Museum (March 9-June 1, 2025).

Tags
bird ceramic cloud New Mexico olla pottery rain rain cloud water jar zuni
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