A Rare, Historic Zia or Santa Ana or Jemez Storage Jar?

Jemez Pueblo

Second half 19th century | Clay | Item 2242

I am excited to share this jar because I love a mystery. The bottom of this jar has a label that says Hemez 1890. Labels are not always right, but I want to entertain that this might be Jemez. I have never seen, in person or in books, a Jemez jar of the 19th century. According to the books, they stopped making them around the middle of the 19th century. I’ve imagined them to be out there, but this is the first of a kind for me. The walls of the jar are thick and heavy like at Zia or Santa Ana. The design, while similar to near by Pueblos, is totally different. The upper half with the stepped patterns could be Santa Ana, but the lower patterns show a distinctive (can we call it a “Jemez” look?) group of spiraled designs, clearly unique and not like Santa Ana or Zia. The bottom of the jar is flat, suggesting to me it was a storage jar. In all honesty, I need to more seriously consider that this is either Zia or Santa Ana.

I suspect that this jar may be older than 1890. I say this mostly due to the shape and designs. The shape is more rotund and the center of largest diameter is at the half way point. Late 19th c. Zia jars have a greatest diameter well above the mid way, and the necks are typically long. The neck here is very short. While I have no Jemez jars to compare this two, I do know that rotund jars with short necks tend to be earlier than the last quarter of the 19th century. The designs also are purely geometric and do not involve pictorial elements or plants which were more a part of design the last quarter of the 19th c. The deep red underbody suggests an earlier red slip used before 1890. The same red slip is used for the inside of the jar’s neck, where it goes down about 2.5″. This red slip goes to the top and covers the rim where it stops. The red rim is them covered with black slip, but not in a heavy way. That, or wear has worn off much of the black to expose the red underneath. Also of interest is the quality of black/brown slip. This slip is so dark it at times looks like it’s glaze wear – almost shinny. I wonder if this fact could help date this jar to an earlier period? I love finding such odd pieces, as they push my boundaries and help me learn all the more about these cultures. I welcome any comments on about this jar.