Cloud Design Black-on-black Jar signed Marie & Julian [SOLD]

Maria Poveka Martinez (1887-1980) and Julian Martinez (1885-1943) worked together producing pottery from the early 1900s—she making the beautiful Tewa shape vessels and he painting beautiful designs in traditional Polychrome style.  Because Maria was considered the best potter at San Ildefosno Pueblo, she was selected to experiment on reproducing the prehistoric wares being excavated.  She and Julian worked diligently for several years to recreate the earlier pottery and Julian painted designs in the traditional Polychrome style.  It was not until around 1912, that they became interested in experimenting with the blackware of previous periods.  It was another 10 years before they achieved satisfactory results.

Maria made the vessels and Julian applied the designs in a matte finish.  Her exquisite vessels with beautiful polished surfaces were perfect canvases for the artistic talent of Julian.  Maria started co-signing Julian's signature around 1925 so this jar was made between 1925 and 1943, most likely in the mid- to late-1930s.

The design on the shoulder of this jar is one of Julian’s creations—possibly representing clouds or perhaps not representing anything but his creative thoughts.  Julian was a very talented artist and constantly created designs not seen before.  The scallop areas at the widest point of the vessel have, in the past, been labeled clouds, so perhaps they are.

This is quite a large jar, typical of the earlier ones created by Maria.  It was later when she started making smaller vessels because they were easier to sell.  These larger ones were probably her favorite but the market determined what she made.  The Museum of New Mexico (Laboratory of Anthropology) was instrumental in encouraging Maria to make larger and more perfect jars by paying more than Maria asked for the better ones and not purchasing the ones determined not to be exceptional.  The director of the Lab wanted her to make the quality that he knew she was capable of making.

This jar is signed Marie & Julian, a signature used between 1925 and 1943.

Condition: structurally in excellent condition but there are scratches which are mostly confined to the area below the mid-section.

Recommended Reading: The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez by Richard Spivey.  This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery

Provenance: from a family collection from Missouri