Accession Number

CUS-2006-01

Creation Date

circa 1620

Description

Mexican Red Painted named by Hale Smith for its resemblance to Aztec redwares. Handpainted, wheel thrown vessel; not kiln fired like glazed ceramics. Date range:1550-1750; produced primarily in Mexico but likely made in a variety of ceramic centers in the New World.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023):

Household Ceramics

Pottery in all its forms was made throughout South America since pre-historic times. It was often painted or decorated with incised designs, but glazing was unknown. Archaeological evidence indicates that Indigenous potters adopted glazing from European artisans once they learned the process. They also freely adapted European designs for their own ceramics while producing dinnerware and other basic forms useful to the colonists.

Most of the ceramics found on the 1622 fleet were made in Spain. However, in the colonies, Panama became particularly known for its production of majolica (tin-glazed ceramics), and there was also a major pottery in Lima.
Object Caption (2023):

Jar
Mexican Redware (1550-1750)
Lent by Mark and Dawn Stricker
2006-01

This small jar was wheel-thrown but not kiln-fired, and painted rather than glazed in the style of pre-colonial Aztec pottery. Ceramics of this type were primarily produced in Mexico but they were also made in a variety of potteries throughout the Americas.
Previous Exhibit Case Caption: Removed 2022 RED PAINTED JAR Recovered from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha Earthenware, c. 1620 Courtesy of the Dawn and Mark Stricker Collection L 2006-1 This decorative earthenware jar could have served any number if storage functions. It is glazed and covered with a red burnish or paint. This decorative technique is similar to a style found on Aztec pottery, indicating this piece may have been made in Mexico.