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Polychrome Jar

Date:

1840–60

Artist:

Acoma
Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, United States

About this artwork

This jar, made between 1840 and 1860, stands at the beginning of a major rebirth of the Pueblo ceramic tradition after some 250 years of diminished innovation when the Pueblo world was part of the Spanish empire. Bold geometric motifs flow around the vessel’s surface in a seemingly random progression; however, the unknown artist duplicated the design on both sides, indicating that the decoration was carefully planned. Prominent among the motifs are blunt-end “fingers,” heart-shaped patterns, large spirals, and triangular elements. The artistic renewal starting in the mid-19th century soon included pottery from nearby Zuñi, and subsequently spread to other pueblos along the Rio Grande to the east and the Hopi mesas to the west. By the 1930s, the most creative impulses of this artistic movement were on the wane, although vessels of remarkable accomplishment continued to be made into the 20th century.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Culture

Pueblo of Acoma

Title

Polychrome Jar

Place

New Mexico (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1840–1860

Medium

Ceramic and pigment

Dimensions

Approx: 29 × 31 cm (11 1/4 × 12 in.)

Credit Line

African Art and Indian Art of the Americas Curatorial Discretionary and Leonard Florsheim funds; O. Renard Goltra and Arnold Crane endowments

Reference Number

2012.497

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/216246/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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