217 - Water jar, known as an “olla”

Water jar, known as an “olla” Acoma or Laguna, New Mexico, United States Late 19th–early 20th century Terracotta with a cream-colored engobe, painted black and red decoration, signs of use and surface wear. Height: 25 cm; diameter: 32 cm. History: According to the information provided, this jar and the one accompanying it were transported from Quebec City to Le Havre in 1965. A label from their shipping crate, which has been preserved, mentions the Cunard Line ocean liner Carmania. The rounded body, accentuated by a pronounced shoulder, supports a slightly concave neck with a flared rim edged in black. Two painted bands combine lobed leaves, three-lobed twigs, and geometric motifs with tiered outlines. The solid red and black areas complement each other against the cream-colored slip, in a balanced composition that follows the changes in volume. Hand-built without a potter’s wheel, the water jars from Acoma and Laguna reflect neighboring traditions, whose forms and decorations share many similarities. The botanical motifs and cloud-like shapes place this example within a world where water and growth play an essential role. An Acoma jar in the collection of the Keramikmuseum in Mettlach bears a resemblance to this piece in its profile, black rim, and decoration of split leaves on a cream background. General Bibliography: Dwight P. Lanmon and Francis H. Harlow, *The Pottery of Acoma Pueblo*, Santa Fe, Museum of New Mexico Press, 2013. Comparative reference: Keramikmuseum Mettlach, Acoma water jar, 1880–1890, inv. 117/526, height 25.4 cm; reproduced in Charlotte Jacob-Hanson, “From Santa Fe to Mettlach: Pueblo Pottery and ‘Curiosities’ in the Villeroy and Boch Keramikmuseum,” Ceramics in America, 2020, fig. 8. Expert: Serge Reynes, Origine expert