First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2012

Tewa Polished Buff refers to unslipped plain ware sherds or vessels which are often very difficult to assign to a particular type or even ware group (Wilson 2011). Pottery exhibiting characterstics used to define thi type occur in assemblages dating from about A.D. 1775 to 1929.

This type includes historic plain wares with unslipped buff, tan, or brown surfaces. Surfaces are almost always smoothed and usually polished. Types define for this group are sometimes used as a catchall category to classify sherds without either evidence of distinct slip applications or painted decoration. Sherds assigned to types within this category may include micaceous forms where the mica slip was missing or not visible, sherds with slips that could not be readily identified, slightly oxidize polished gray wares, and sherds derived from the unslipped or unpainted portions of polychrome, glaze ware and red-on-tan vessels. The inclusion of sherds from the unslipped portions of vessels that would be assigned to other types is reflected by a lower frequency of rim sherds for the Buff Utility Ware group as compared other plain ware categories. Pottery assigned to this category usually exhibit a fine tuff temper, but sand and crushed granite may also occur in significant frequencies, This category, however, also includes sherds derived from undecorated buff ware vessels, that clearly represent a distinct unslipped vessel class within the plain utility ware group. These buff ware vessels are commonly represented by relatively unusually forms such as plates and miniature vessels.

References:
Wilson C. Dean
2011 Historic Indigenous Ceramic Types. In Settlers and Soldiers: The Historic Component at El Pueblo de Santa Fe (LA 1051), by S. C. Lentz and M. J. Barbour, pp 223 -234. Archaeology Notes, 410. Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.

Related Photos

Tewa Polished Buff bowl

Tewa Polished Buff tray