San Ildefonso Black-on-red Lidded Jar [R]

San Ildefonso pottery retained its traditional Tewa shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries more so than the other Tewa pueblos, due primarily to its more isolated location than the others, according to Jonathan Batkin. There were so few potters at the pueblo at that time that tradition remained strong.

It is known that Martina Vigil (1856-1916) and her husband Florentino Montoya (1858-1918) made San Ildefonso Black-on-red pottery, but they were not the only ones to do so. According to Batkin, who conducted a thorough survey of turn-of-the-century census records, there were only 8 potters at San Ildefonso Pueblo listed as such by the census taker.

The eight potters were probably Martina Vigil, Maria Martinez, Maximiliana Montoya, Nicolasa Peña, Marianita Roybal, Tonita Peña, Susana Aguilar and Dominguita Pino. All of them are known to have produced San Ildefonso Black-on-red pottery style.

This jar was most likely made by one of the eight women, sometime around 1900-1910, but it would take someone like Jonathan Batkin to attribute it to a specific potter and painter.