This is a classic and wonderful Zuni home use olla; it’s beauty all in the subtleties, rewarding us with a closer look. First, its form is early with a clearly defined puki flexure at the bottom setting its sculptural tone. The medallion is very early with a deep, purplish red, a color used in the fine lines in the neck and in the other traditional designs. There is a slight “lean” to the jar, an endearing trait, not a criticism. The reddish brown underbody is indicative of the early date. There is an old, old chip in the neck, smooth and patinated with age. The chip is also “touched” up with piñon pitch, a native repair to protect the jar so that it can serve the family a while longer. With vigorous rubbing we can still smell the pitch; the same aroma the potter would have experienced maybe 125 years ago. Thus, these great potteries remind us to love and to protect.