Historic Cochiti Water Jar

Item: 1001

Origin: Cochiti
Date: 1890 – 1910

Media: Clay

Dimensions: 9 3/4″ tall, 11″ diameter

Description: This beautiful olla or water jar has a superb shape and incredible designs on it.  The designs come in sets of two, alternating back and forth.  The more complicated set is an amalgamation of rain clouds, mountains, bolted arrows, and feathers.  The other set are two, simple stocks of grass or branches with a bulb on the top side.  These two branches are parallel to each other and titled on a 45 degree angle.  The juxtapostion of these alternating shapes, from complex to highly simple, makes this an exceptional jar.  The patina is warm and has a glow to it.  The dark red band on the beginning of the underbody confirms the pre 1920 date.

Condition / Restoration: No restoration found on this jar.  There are no cracks or chips and the surface wear is minimal as one can see in the photos.

Provenance: From the Lyn Fox Fine Pueblo Pottery collection. This jar came from a southern Colorado (Manassa, CO area) ranching family – an old Spanish family. The Spanish in that area migrated in the mid-19th century from Northern New Mexico to southern Colorado and Manassa to this day is heavily Spanish; there was intermarriage and lots of trading between pueblo people and the old Spanish families in those days with some evidence on this pot of old Spanish designs that found its way into pottery iconography and old pueblo jewelry.

This pot has been in the same family (the current family now lives in northern Colorado) for as long as anyone can remember; so possibly bought off the pueblo possibly as early as the turn of the century or traded for at that time.

Price: SOLD