San Ildefonso Pueblo Pottery By Maria and Julian Martinez

ca. 1925 - 1943

4.25" H x 5.25" W

Hand Coiled with a High Rounded Shoulder Jar Form with a Narrow Base and Expanding Shoulders with Black on Black Geometric Painting at Shoulders with a Fine Polished Form 

In Very Good Condition

Maria Montoya Martinez (1887–1980), often known simply as Maria Martinez or by her Tewa name Po-Ve-Ka ("Pond Lily"), was a master potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. She learned traditional pottery-making from her aunt and family members, starting as a child. Her husband, Julian Martinez (1879–1943, also known as Pocano), was a skilled painter and watercolor artist who collaborated closely with her.

Around 1917–1920, inspired by ancient Ancestral Puebloan pottery fragments, the couple experimented with clays, slips, and firing techniques. Julian discovered a method to produce a distinctive black-on-black finish: Maria hand-coiled and shaped the vessels, polished them to a high sheen, and Julian painted designs with a slip (liquid clay). During the outdoor pit-firing process, they used a reduction technique—smothering the fire with manure or dung to create a reducing atmosphere with limited oxygen—which turned the entire piece black while leaving the painted matte designs contrasting against the polished glossy black background.