Water Vessel with Lid

These coordinating ceramic water vessels (85.1.1511.a-b, 85.1.1512.a-b) come from the studio of the renowned Tonalá ceramicist Ladislao Ortega, indicated by an embossed maker’s mark at the bottom of each work.These vessels were intended to be souvenirs for tourists who traveled to Tonalá for city’s celebrated ceramics. Ladislao Ortega’s work was featured in the 1921 exhibition and catalog titled, Las Artes Populares de Mexico (The Popular Arts of Mexico), the first major presentation of Mexican popular art funded by the Mexican government.