Zia or Santa Ana Water Jar

Item: 1577

Origin: Zia
Date: Circa 1870 – 1900
Media: Clay
Dimensions: 8″ tall, 9.5″ diameter

Description:  This is a beautiful and unusual Zia water jar. It is possible it is a Santa Ana or San Felipe jar.  The shape and design are more indicative of Santa Ana than Zia.  It was rare for San Felipe to make water jars, as there are very few that exists in this time frame.I’ve given a broad dating range since I’m having a hard time settling in on when I think it was made.  The earlier date of 1870 comes from the globular shape and the short neck at the top. Both of these are characteristics of earlier Zia pottery.  The design also suggests an earlier date since its a continuous system of connecting elements, all simple in nature.   There is a lattice of geometric parts, some leaf life, that all join together to make the design.  The aspect that suggests a later date is the barely visiting dark red band at the top of the underbody.  In the earlier jars this band is typically bold and easy to see. Here, it is present, but only faintly so.  While this is a Zia jar, it also has a look of Santa Ana pottery (the shape) as well as Laguna (the leaf like lattice design). Aside from all this discussion, the jar has a simple beauty about it.

Condition:  This jar has no breaks, chips. There is a hairline crack that goes across the base which is very secure and does not show through on the inside. There may be signs, via a blacklight, of some restoration on a portion of the rim. It has a wonderful and high pitch ring when tapped.

Provenance: A private collection in Southern California

Price: 4750