Contemporary Red Jar signed Da [SOLD]

Tony Da started his art career as a painter at a very young age and continued painting throughout high school and afterwards.  It was not until he lived with his Grandmother, Maria Martinez, that he became a potter.  He moved in with Maria in 1966 and began the process of making pottery under her tutelage.  His timing was perfect, as the 1960s was a period of great interest in pueblo pottery.

Tony mastered the techniques of pottery making very fast and in a short time was making very thin-walled pottery, thinner than those of Maria.  Clara, Maria's sister, polished most of Tony's pottery as she did those of Maria.  She did this throughout his career until she retired in the late 1970s from polishing pottery of family members.  His dad, Popovi Da, set the standards of quality for Tony and never let up on doing so.  In two short years, Tony had mastered the techniques and was producing pottery of the highest quality and beauty.

In 1967, Tony entered competition at the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonials with eight pieces for which he won seven first place awards and one second place.

Tony’s early pottery jars were red with a carved Avanyu design, he then added turquoise cabs in a second phase.  This jar represents what might be a third phase of pottery production.  He began to be bolder in concept—making larger vessels, carving designs, adding turquoise cabs, and adding shell hieshe.  From this point, he never slowed down but kept improving and embellishing his work.  This jar was purchased in 1975, less than a decade after he started learning to make pottery.

The design features seven feathers on opposing sides, two line-scored triangles on opposing sides, each with a beautiful blue turquoise cab, and a single row of shell hieshe encircling the rim of the jar.  Very near the bottom of the vessel is a single scored bear paw.  The underside is signed with his signature DA.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: currently owned by a client from Oregon who purchased it in 1975 from The Covered Wagon, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Ann Goodman of The Covered Wagon regularly purchased directly from Tony Da so this was probably purchased from him.

Recommended Reading:  The Life and Art of Tony Da by Charles King, et al.