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SKU: 5224-0084

San Ildefonso Pueblo Black on Black Jar By Marie & Santana Martinez

$3,420.00

Shipping calculated at checkout.

ca 1950

3.9375" H x 5.375" D 

Hand Coiled with a Gunmetal Deep Black Sheen and a Matte Geometric Design

In Very Good Condition with a Flake on the Rim as Seen in Photos

Maria Martinez (1887–1980), also known as Po've'ka ("Water Lily"), was a master Tewa potter who learned traditional coil-building techniques as a child. She collaborated with her husband Julian Martinez (who painted the designs) to revive and innovate ancient Pueblo pottery styles. Around 1919–1920, they developed the distinctive black-on-black ware: the entire vessel is fired in a reducing atmosphere (smothered with manure or dung to limit oxygen), turning the clay a deep, lustrous black. The design is created by applying a matte black slip (paint made from the same clay) over a highly polished black surface before firing, producing a beautiful contrast between shiny and dull black areas.

After Julian's death in 1943, Maria worked with her daughter-in-law Santana Martinez (1909–2002), wife of her son Adam. They collaborated until about 1956. Pieces from this period are typically signed "Marie + Santana" or Marie & Santan" (Maria often used the anglicized "Marie" in signatures). Santana usually painted the designs while Maria formed and polished the vessel.

Condition: Excellent

Tribe: San Ildefonso

Year Range: 1950 - 1975

Region: Southwest

Dimensions: 3.94 in5.38 in

Category: Pottery Bowls and Jars Post 1940

Artist: Martinez, Maria (ca. 1887–1980)

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