The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 28, 2022

Water Jar (Olla)

1850-1860

Southwest, Pueblo, Zuni, Post- Contact Period, 19th century

Ceramic

Overall: 25.5 x 33 cm (10 1/16 x 13 in.)

Gift of Amelia Elizabeth White 1937.898

Location

not on view

Description

The Zuni carried water in jars like this one balanced atop the head. The water well was a gathering place and the vessels’ public visibility explains their elaborate decoration-here, a beautifully rendered rain bird whose beak spirals between two stylized wings. The wings’ stepped shape and hachure represent rain-filled clouds.

Citations
Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 343
Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016.
Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 28
Exhibition history

CMA 2010: "Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection" March 7 - May 30, 2010

Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art (March 7-May 30, 2010).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1937.898