A GRANDDAUGHTER inherited a family heirloom with historical significance, valued at a whopping $5,000.
The frog-themed bowl turned out to have Native American ties, securing its high-dollar evaluation on Antiques Roadshow.
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In an episode of Antiques Roadshow from 2017, a granddaughter shared how she came in possession of the clay piece.
She explained it belonged to her grandparents and that her father remembered the bowl being in his childhood home as he grew up.
Her grandmother had collected Native American artifacts such as bowls and rugs.
The granddaughter shared that she and her father were unaware of the bowl’s history, as her grandmother had never shared it.
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When her grandmother passed down the bowl to her parents, they tried to find information on it but could not find much.
“I just really wanted to come to the Roadshow for my mom’s sake to find out what the heck it is and what it’s used for and how old it is,” said the granddaughter.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Expert Ted Trotta shared that the effigy bowl was made around 1880 by the Native American Zuni tribe.
“This is a piece of pottery made for the tribe, not made to be sold,” said Trotta.
“It’s made from the coil method where they roll the pottery into long coils, turn it around, squish it down with a stone or a rag, and create the pot.”
The expert noted the frogs were then molded on top of the coiled jar and that the piece was called a “frog bowl” or “Kiva bowl.”
Trotta also explained the significance behind the animal depictions on the pottery.
He described how tadpoles quickly turned into frogs at the Native American pueblo, and the natives paid attention to the “mysterious and magical” phenomenon.
“This has to do with regeneration,” he said. “Water and rainfall are critical amongst the pueblos, so this would be a pot made to cause rainfall.”
Trotta pointed out how each frog featured red pigment in its mouth, calling it a “vivifying color” that “brings the pot to life.”
He shared that the color red is associated with the upper world, which is where the rainfall comes from.
“Native religions are animistic,” he said. “That means everything has a soul. So this pot, in a sense, is a living entity and it may have been fed with things like cornmeal.”
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The expert also noted that a typical frog pot would feature three to four frogs, while the granddaughter’s bowl had six.
“That I’m sure intensified its power,” said Trotta.
He also pointed towards the painted deer on the clay bowl and the red arrow pointing to their hearts, which he referred to as their “heartlines” or the “center of energy of the deer.”
The expert praised the pot as being desirable and valued it at $5,000.
“Okay, wow,” responded the shocked granddaughter. “My mother would be so pleased.”
Others were similarly taken back by how highly-priced their items were.
One woman held onto an old cup from a flea market for 30 years and was speechless when Antiques Roadshow said it’s worth $450,000.
Another visitor to Antiques Roadshow held onto a gift from her dad for decades and was lost for words when it was valued at $50,000.
