The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Water Jar (Olla) with Rosettes

Water Jar (Olla) with Rosettes

1880s
Overall: 27.5 x 36 cm (10 13/16 x 14 3/16 in.)

Description

In the past, motifs painted on Zuni (A:shiwi) ceramics likely held symbolic meanings but, if so, they are largely lost to memory—or at least the Zuni do not discuss them today. Where known, they seem to concern water, verdant crops, and abundant wildlife, also the focus of much Pueblo religious life. For instance, the large, triangular, blade-like forms around this vessel’s neck may represent the thunder knife used in many ceremonies. The petaled forms in circular rosettes refer to sunflowers.
  • Purchased from the Old Santa Fe Trading Post, New Mexico.
  • The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-August 22, 1982).
    Juxtapositions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11-October 10, 1965).
  • {{cite web|title=Water Jar (Olla) with Rosettes|url=false|author=|year=1880s|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1928.323