ipl Pueblo Pottery Gallery

Powhoge Polychrome (Tesuque Variety) — Circa 1840, Diameter 49 cm.

The form of this large bowl occurs principally at San Juan, Cochiti, and Tesuque. Decorative motifs indicating that the vessel was made at Tesuque are: the hollow rectangular areas; the radiating feather clusters and the tall key motifs. The triangular supporting base for either a feather cluster or a double key also occurs on San Ildefoso pottery of the early nineteenth century. Even bowls have the traditional two-band arrangement of the decoration. Note the typical Tesuque dimpling on parts of the slipped surface. This bowl has been mended with strips of coarse wet leather to pull the cracks together when the leather dried.