Unknown Title (Incised pot)

Artist Carol Vigil born 1960 Jemez Pueblo

Date1987

Mediumstone polished and incised oxidation fired clay

Dimensions10 1/8 × 10 3/4 × 10 3/4 in. (25.7 × 27.3 × 27.3 cm)

ClassificationsCeramic

Credit LineAlbuquerque Museum, gift of the estate of Ruth and Sidney Schultz

Object numberPC2022.44.158

DescriptionA red jar with an incised geometric design over the entire jar. The design features geometric motifs arranged into repeated panels. The jar is polished in the areas that are not incised. The body of the jar is wide with a narrow bottom.

On View

Not on view

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Indigenous Art, Culture, and Community: Works from the Ruth and Sydney Schultz Collection

on view 02/04/2023 - 07/23/2023

Carol Vigil created this pot using a technique called sgraffito, meaning “to scratch” in Italian. This approach consists of artists using a stone to polish the pot to a shine and then carve away designs before firing. Different pueblos utilize traditions of incising patterns in pots, carving in linear patterns (called Potsuwi’i style), and sgraffito expands on that tradition. The pottery tradition at Jemez Pueblo is unique from other pueblos in that there hasn’t been a singular, continuous style. It is said that no pottery was made at Jemez beginning around the time of the Pueblo Revolt. A small number of pots were likely made during that time, though few have been documented or preserved. Older Jemez pots made before the Pueblo Revolt often had fine-line, black on white designs. Jemez imported pottery from Zia Pueblo as Zia had less ideal agricultural land than Jemez, the two Pueblos would trade food and pots. This could have been why less pottery was produced at Jemez. Jemez potters today explore and embrace different styles.