1870 - 1880
Height 8 1/4"
Diameter 11 1/2"
Provenance: Private collection, Olympia WA : Purchased years ago when it was brought into a local Seattle Antique shop by a family who had inherited it.
Ok, where do I start on this? Well simply put its a absolutely un improvable magical master piece of Zuni art and far better then the George Terasaki example that was sold by Sotheby's in New York on November 19 2019 for double the price, this olla being more extrordinary in every way! In my opinion no known example can even come close. Not for the faint of heart but for a collector who demands the finest!
This olla exhibits all the criteria of the period 1870 -1880. It has the distinctive brown rim around the opening and the puki impression on the underbody. The heartline deer motif, an innovation of the 1860-1870 time period, is prominent on this vessel. It was previously referred to as an antelope, the meaning of which was provided by John G. Bourke in 1881:
The line running down from the animal’s mouth and terminating at its heart may be described as a “prayer.” It is a pictographic invocation to the “spirit of the antelope” to incline the hearts of the antelope on earth to put themselves in the way of the Zunis that they may kill them for food. I made careful inquiries upon this point and know that I have obtained the correct explanation.
The many small finely detailed red birds with hooked tails are beautifully rendered., along with the fine line detailed paneled painting certainly make it in a class of its own! Untouched and as shown with lovely old patina.
1870 - 1880
Height 8 1/4"
Diameter 11 1/2"
Provenance: Private collection, Olympia WA : Purchased years ago when it was brought into a local Seattle Antique shop by a family who had inherited it.
Ok, where do I start on this? Well simply put its a absolutely un improvable magical master piece of Zuni art and far better then the George Terasaki example that was sold by Sotheby's in New York on November 19 2019 for double the price, this olla being more extrordinary in every way! In my opinion no known example can even come close. Not for the faint of heart but for a collector who demands the finest!
This olla exhibits all the criteria of the period 1870 -1880. It has the distinctive brown rim around the opening and the puki impression on the underbody. The heartline deer motif, an innovation of the 1860-1870 time period, is prominent on this vessel. It was previously referred to as an antelope, the meaning of which was provided by John G. Bourke in 1881:
The line running down from the animal’s mouth and terminating at its heart may be described as a “prayer.” It is a pictographic invocation to the “spirit of the antelope” to incline the hearts of the antelope on earth to put themselves in the way of the Zunis that they may kill them for food. I made careful inquiries upon this point and know that I have obtained the correct explanation.
The many small finely detailed red birds with hooked tails are beautifully rendered., along with the fine line detailed paneled painting certainly make it in a class of its own! Untouched and as shown with lovely old patina.
