CasaDeMataOrtiz

See "ABOUT US" for info on Juan Quezada & the Mata Ortiz art movement.

Can you tell a real ancient pot from from a fake, or a replica? A few weeks ago I had the privilege of conversing with Nicolas Quezada on this subject. He told me that he has often been a guest at a professor's or curator's home, and been proudly shown their collection of "original ancient pottery". In many cases the conversation went like this: "Well, Mr. Professor, this is a fine collection, but of your 7 pots, only these two are genuine. The other five are replicas." "What? How can you tell?!!!" How CAN you tell? It's so simple it might make you cry. Especially if you have "genuine" ancient pottery in your collection! Here's the tip from Nicolas Quezada: Genuine ancient pottery is always, always polished on the inside. Polishing the inside sealed the otherwise porous surface for utility. So, if you are ever presented with a genuine, original ancient pot - be sure to check the inside. This may not insure you're not getting a replica, but at least you know that if it's NOT finished on the inside, it's NOT genuine.