Water Jar (Olla)
Unknown Artist
13th–14th century
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
H. 12 3/4 × W. 15 1/4 × D. 14 1/16 in. (32.4 × 38.7 × 35.7 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Vessels
Culture
Ancestral Puebloan (Kayenta Black-on-White)
Department
Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Samuel and Gabrielle Lurie, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2019
Accession Number
2019.565.2
Art Historical Context
This elegant Water Jar, or *olla*, hails from the Ancestral Puebloan of the Kayenta region in the American Southwest, crafted between the 13th and 14th centuries. to the Kayenta Black-on-White ceramic, it exemplifies the sophisticated pottery of these prehistoric communities, who thrived in the arid landscapes of present-day Arizona and Utah. Ollas like this were vital for daily life, designed to store and transport water with their wide mouths, rounded bodies, and narrow necks that minimized evaporation and spillage in a harsh environment. Artistically, the jar showcases masterful hand-coili...