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Vintage Native American Pueblo black-on-black pottery bowl - $75 (ALBUQUERQUE)
condition:
excellent
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Item Information
• Origin & Style: This style of pottery is most famously associated with San Ildefonso Pueblo and Santa Clara Pueblo. The distinctive metallic sheen is completely natural. The pot was hand-coiled from regional clay, coated in a fine liquid slip, and continuously rubbed with a smooth river stone to polish it. The iconic jet-black color was achieved by suffocating the outdoor firing kiln with dried cow manure at the peak of heating, trapping carbon directly inside the clay.
• Design & Graphics: The upper half features a traditional matte-black painted finish against a mirror-polished background. The stylized, wrapping geometric bands include classic stepped rain clouds, mountain kiva blocks, and abstract feather tips. The thick lower portion of the bowl is left undecorated to highlight the high-luster sheen of the stone burnishing.
• The Base: The bottom features a flat-rubbed footprint displaying a soft brown-to-charcoal transition. It is completely unsigned, which is standard for utilitarian pieces, early-to-mid 20th-century souvenir trade items, or works by older pueblo matriarchs who preferred to let their family's distinct polishing styles speak for themselves.
• Dimensions: Stands exactly 3.25 inches tall.