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- 190920-06 A Large and Fine Early Mohave Indian Pottery Cup with Handle
190920-06 A Large and Fine Early Mohave Indian Pottery Cup with Handle
Large - 4 1/2" x 8" Across Handle
c. 1910
A relative rare item and it's unusual size and primitive nature provides a compelling example.
No Restoration.
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Mohave Pottery
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Mojave, or aha macav ("people who live along the river") continued a long tradition of pottery-making, adapting to the new Euro-American tourist market. Gathering clay along the Colorado River in Southern California, Mojave craftswomen formed ceramic utilitarian vessels, human and animal effigies, and dolls. While these forms continue an older ceramic tradition, Mojave potters began to generate new artistic styles while incorporating new materials, such as trade cloth and commercial paint.
Considered a woman's art, Mojave craftswomen traditionally made ceramics during the dry season in a location outside of the home. Utilitarian pots for storage, cooking, and eating were generally plain or decorated with simple geometric designs in yellow ochre which turned red in the firing process. The advent of the tourist trade brought adaptations to these wares, such as the addition of handles to the pots.