Native American, North America, New Mexico, Zia Pueblo (Tsia), ca. 1950 CE, signed with a bell by artist Seferina Bell. A hand-built pottery olla made by one of the master artisans of the Zia Pueblo around the time that their style was shifting to emphasize the Zia bird, the roadrunner - as shown skillfully painted on this example. Decorated in hues of cream, orange, and black, the vessel rests on a concave base and features thick walls that dramatically flare outwards to a broad shoulder and then inwards to an annular rim over a deep basin. A pair of roadrunners adorns the exterior, each in profile, facing right, and surrounded by abstract and geometric designs along the other sections of the wall. Size: 9.8" W x 6.875" H (24.9 cm x 17.5 cm)

The Zia have occupied their land since the 1200s. The landscape where they live is rocky and not agriculturally productive, so they have made their living for centuries by trading their beautiful and functional pottery to other pueblos. Their pottery is made from red clay mixed with basaltic rock fragments for temper, then hard fired. The roadrunner, a charming, long-legged bird found in the American southwest, is notable for its speed and bravery - it can even kill and eat a rattlesnake! For Pueblo people, the roadrunner is thought of as a healing bird that can protect against evil spirits.

Please note this item falls under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and is not eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, & Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.

Provenance: private Don Phelps collection, owner Todos Santos Trading Post, Alamo, California before 2000, acquired at a Marin, California, USA ethnographic show in 1978

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#180310

Minor abrasions, expected pitting, and light fading to pigment, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation to roadrunner motifs and pigments.