Description

This beautiful museum quality masterpiece olla is a stunning example of why Joseph and Barbara Cerno’s pottery is purchased by private collectors and museums around the world. This husband and wife team are among some of the finest potters of this or any era, according to some experts of pueblo pottery. The pieces they create are totally traditional- they gather their own clay from around Acoma; they process the clay, which takes several months; paint with vegetal paints; and finally after almost a year, fire the pieces in an outside dung fire.

This olla is imposingly large, perfectly symmetrical in form and design, thin-walled, and beautifully painted. In addition, the form is spectacular, and the design is stunning in its application. The main body is emphasized by the much smaller base and shallow neck. All the colors are natural, either red clay slip, or an infusion of vegetal color, for the brown/black, over the natural white of the clay base. Every element of this olla is as perfect as human hands can achieve: flawless finish, precise, graceful form and complementary vegetal painted design.  Joseph diligently verifies ancestral designs to apply to the ollas, while Barbara brings the designs to life through her gifted painting. The bird symbol is a rain parrot under the rainbow accompanied with various plant designs and symbols. Rain is paramount for survival in the pueblos.

The Cernos are justifiably acclaimed for their brilliantly painted and perfectly formed pottery. They sign their pottery as “Barbara & Joseph Cerno, Acoma, NM” followed by the year the pottery was made. They have won numerous awards around the state, including several at Santa Fe Indian Market and the New Mexico State fair. You really want to have a piece of their pottery in your collection.

Condition: Excellent- original condition
Provenance: Purchased from a gentleman from Arizona