NEHMA | Collection - Wedding Jar

Lela Gutierrez

Native American
(1895–1966)

Wedding Jar
Date unknown

Earthenware
6.75 x 5.75 x 3.75 in.
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. J. A. Fillmore
1998.17

Wedding Jar showcases the originality and experimentation Lela Gutierrez and her husband Van pursued as innovators of the Santa Clara Pueblo ceramic style. Wedding Jar features a bold double-spout design with curvilinear elements. Gutierrez’s distinctive pictorial designs, with polychromatic earth tones on a matte background, created a lyrical visual tradition that was truly innovative for the period.

Lela and Van were frequent collaborators, often cosigning their works. Upon her husband’s death, Lela began collaborating with her son Luther Gutierrez. The mother-son duo continued to experiment with clay bodies, firing techniques, and traditional design motifs. Lela Gutierrez was one of the primary Matriarchs of the leading fourteen major Pueblo families involved in pottery production.

Matthew Limb

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