Zuni Dough Bowl Pottery

ca. 1890

6" H x 17.25" D

White Slate Like Clay Extra Large Bowl with Hand Painted Red and Dark Brown Geometric Designs and a Painted Dark Brown Bottom

Excellent Condition with Aged Wear

A Zuni dough bowl is a traditional form of pottery created by the Zuni people, an Indigenous Pueblo tribe located in western New Mexico, USA. These bowls were historically used for practical purposes in Zuni households, such as kneading and mixing dough for bread or other foods, earning them their name. Beyond their utility, they are renowned for their artistic and cultural significance, featuring intricate polychrome (multi-colored) designs that reflect Zuni cosmology, symbolism, and reverence for nature. Today, they are highly prized as collectible art pieces, often from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and command significant value in the art market.

Provenance:  From the Len and Toni Wood Private Collection, Laguna Beach, California