Photograph by Addison Doty. Copyright 2014 School for Advanced Research.
Storage jar
Date: 1880-1900
Artist or Maker: Unknown
Dimensions:
Dimensions: 25.4 × 31.8 cm (10 × 12 1/2 in.)
Weight: 2 kg (4.3 lb.)
Medium: clay | paints
Credit Line: Indian Arts Fund purchase for the permanent collection, 1927.
Place Made:
Valencia County, New Mexico, Southwest, United States, North America
Object Number: IAF.678
Not on view
Tribal Collection Review RemarksAccording to the participants in the Acoma collection review visit June 3-5, 2015 (Events Record “Collection Review: Acoma Pueblo, Review 2”): The parrot on this jar is more natural, less stylized, and larger than normal compared to other parrot designs that were painted in this era. (Compare to IAF.330). The interior of the pot has a slight greasy smell which is could mean that it was used to store meat. The rim is shiny, possibly from an arm repeatedly touching the jar.
There was some discussion about whether or not potters used to scrape their pots to refine the shape and thickness of their pot as potters do today. Since jars had more of a utilitarian purpose before becoming a specialized art, potters were probably less likely to focus on refining the thickness and smoothness because they aimed to achieve the form and thickness needed for the intended use. Some tools that are used today for scraping include; gourds, tin lids, lava rocks, and corn cobs.
According to the participants in the Acoma collection review visit February 26-27, 2019 (Events Record “Collection Review: Acoma Pueblo Review 12”): Storage jars are constructed with thicker walls than water jars in order to support their size and the weight of the contents they would carry. The base of a storage jar is either round or flat. Storage jars were likely stored in cool places and stored items such as dried meats, crops from the garden, and other goods.
Storage jars are no longer being used or made at Acoma today. Jars that are made today that are comparable in size to that of a storage jar are usually made for sale and not for use.
In Collection(s)
Bibliography:
The Indian Arts Research Center, in collaboration with Native American community scholars, strives to present accurate collections records. Records may be updated as new information becomes available and is reviewed with the Native American community having cultural affinity to particular items. Please write to iarc@sarsf.org if you have questions or concerns related to the documentation.