Mata Ortiz Effigy Indian Pottery by Casas Grandes artist Olivas.

This is a true one of a kind!

What a work of art!

Imaginative and creative. Amazing fine line details, an artistic wonder. This hand coiled, hand painted and hand fired Casa Grandes pot is a unique and traditional design. This pot is ~8-3/8" tall, ~5-1/4" wide, ~19-1/2" in circumference and has a 3-3/4" opening. Signed Manuel Olivas. Painting is still widely used to decorate pots in the Southwest. Potters make no measurements or sketches but paint designs free-hand. Manuel Olivas is one of the best potters of Mata Ortiz, and he has been profiled in the book The Story of Casas Grandes Pottery by Rick Cahill.

The Inspiration of Casa Grandes pottery is taken from Casas Grandes tradition. The renaissance of this beautiful pottery began in the early 1960's, following the Amerind Foundation's excavation of the nearby Paquime ruins in 1958. Until that time, there was little interest in the antiquities of the area, but after the excavation, however, an new awareness developed.

Technically and aesthetically, Casas Grandes pottery equals or surpasses the work of the Indian potters of the American Southwest. It is made with clay from the mountains high above the village of MataOrtiz, painted with human hair brushes and natural pigments (minerals and roots of plants). It is hand-formed, without the use of a potter's wheel, and is dung fired.

For centuries, the Indian peoples of the Southwest have fashioned pots from the native clay and baked them beneath the fiery desert sun. Today, we are proud to offer you these hand-etched, hand-coiled, black on red, clay pot. Each intricate line has been hand-painted into gorgeous clay by hand. Beautiful workmanship, high gloss, and stone polished finish.