This jar was made by Lillian Gonzales (ca 1930- — 2015), great granddaughter of Nampeyo through grandmother Annie and Lillian’s mother Rachael Namingha. Lillian had four sisters who grew to adulthood, two of whom gained considerable fame as potters (Dextra and Priscilla) and two who made relatively little pottery and are less well known (Ruth and Eleanor). Until recently Lillian also did not make much pottery and the pottery she did make was finished with the help of her husband, Delbert Fritz (see 2002-01). Pottery by all five sisters is included in this collection. (See “Artist List.”)

Jar 2015-13 is a well-formed jar with even walls. Its base is only 1 inch wide, with the pot flaring out to a maximum diameter of 4.75 inches. As a result, the jar seems to float lightly on its base. It is smoothly polished, including the interior surface of the neck. The area from the maximum diameter to the neck takes up 55% of the height of the jar, providing a large sloped canvass for the design.

At the base of the neck is a single wide framing line. Just below the maximum width of the jar is a similar framing line. Between these two framing lines the entire sloped upper surface is decorated.

The design is a patchwork quilt of linear angular forms fit together. There is no overall pattern, but Lillian has used two colors of paint (black and mauve) to create five different surface designs: 1) solid black, 2) solid mauve, 3) speckled black, 4) unpainted and 5) unpainted with a variety of linear designs in black. The overall effect is subtle and richly hued. This is the most engaging pot by Lillian that I have seen.

Purchase History:
Vase 2015-13 was purchased with an absentee bid from Conestoga Auction Company, Manheim, PA on 9/26/15. They had no provenance.