Mexican Ceramic Olla or Vessel

Smooth gunmetal pot with a pinched neck reflects the whole room.

This burnished olla vessel in blackware from Mata Ortiz is from Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico, and dates to the 20th century. It is burnished pottery & blackware. An olla is a rounded jar with a wide body and a narrow opening, and it has long been used in the Southwest and Mexico to hold water and food. Rounded vessel with a broad shoulder, a narrow flaring neck and a tall mirror-bright surface in dark pewter grey. Soft vertical reflections and dark spots mark the shoulder. There is no decoration, only polish. It is 9 inches high and 8 in diameter.

A flawless finish and no need for ornament.