Olla
Object NameOlla
Date1910-1920
OriginU.S.A.-Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico
MediumClay
Dimensions7 x 9 in. (17.8 x 22.9 cm)
ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Ceramics
Credit LineGift of Jacqueline Andre Schmeal and Richard Schmeal. In the permanent collection of the Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object numberUM83.12
Status
On viewCollections
CultureNative American - Acoma
Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025:
During the Victorian Era, popular domestic design involved collecting and displaying artifacts from cultures around the world. Prohibitively expensive to all but the elite, displaying objects served as a way to showcase wealth and worldly knowledge. The Native American baskets and pottery on exhibition at the Farm House Museum acknowledge this aspect of Victorian culture. The Curtiss Library in the Farm House is the only room with an existing interior photograph and Native American baskets and pottery can be seen exhibited in this room by Charles Curtiss in 1910 when the photograph was taken.
Potters from Haak’u (Acoma Pueblo), New Mexico, created this polychrome Olla, c. 1910−1920, to hold and carry water. However, by the turn of the century, the traditional shape and style became a favorite of travelers to the Southwest. The floral design work is a departure from past banded designs and likely a response to tourists’ taste. While this pottery is created for the tourist market, it is important to note that the form, including the indented base, the polychrome coloration, and the designs remain basically unchanged from earlier utilitarian forms.
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Brunnier Art Museum
