This is a five-color jar by Frederica Antonio.  She is renowned for her intricately painted pottery. Each piece is coil built and then finely painted. Her designs are a series of fine vertical and horizontal lines that are then filled in to create larger images in the squares.  This is a water jar shape with a low, sharp shoulder and it is fully painted.  There are four sections that make up the “rainbow swirl”. There are three different clay colors plus the black (bee-weed). The entire jar is fully painted first and then Frederica paints the clay slips over the top of the checkerboard pattern.  The colorful design encompasses the entire surface of the jar.  Frederica says it is always more complicated to paint her patterns at a swirl than in a more vertical and horizontal composition.   The base of the jar is concave, reminiscent of historic Acoma jars that were carried on the head.  This combination of tightly painted designs on a water jar is visually striking!  It is signed on the bottom, “F. V. Antonio”.