Beautiful Black-on-black Feather Jar signed Maria/Popovi [SOLD]

Richard Spivey, in his book The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez states that Popovi collaborated with Maria from 1956 to 1970.  Popovi initiated the process of dating pottery in 1959. This jar is signed simply Maria/Popovi, without a date, so it was made between 1956 and 1959.  In these earlier collaborative pieces, Popovi used traditional designs that had been used by his dad.  In this example he used the eagle feather design separated into two sections by a geometric design.  At the midpoint of the body, he painted a band of rain clouds.

According to statements by Maria, Popovi learned the processes of pottery making very fast and became very proficient at painting designs and firing the pottery.  This jar is an excellent example of his high quality of work in only his first 3 years of making pottery. 

Condition: very good condition with only a few scratches at the rim and on the underbody, but nothing of significance.

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Pennsylvania

Reference and Recommended Reading: The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez by Richard L. Spivey, 2003