Jemez Pueblo Small Polychrome Jar by Mary Small [SOLD]

Jemez Pueblo has been known for most of the 20^th century as having produced mostly tourist quality pottery using poster paints and bright acrylic paints, but Mary Small has elevated the process by creating pottery of great beauty and quality.  This small jar is typical of her outstanding work.  The vessel shape is beautifully symmetrical and the designs precisely applied.  She has developed a strong dark gray paint that sets her work apart from other potters.  Her style is easily recognizable without looking for the signature.  It is in a piece like this that one can appreciate the talent of Mary Small.  The artist's name is inscribed into the clay on the underside of the jar.

Condition:  original condition

Provenance: from the Jeffrey Trent collection, Nevada

Recommended Reading: Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf