Rare Very Early Marie and Julian Black-on-black Pottery Jar [SOLD]

This is an example of the very few, very rare, early blackware pottery jars made by Marie and Julian Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo.  This experimental style of Black-on-black pottery by Marie and Julian was begun in 1919 and 1920, then abandoned for an easier and more attractive process.   When Marie and Julian first began experimenting with blackware pottery, Julian developed a design technique that used an Avanyu as the subject.  It was, however, very difficult to execute.

I relate from Richard Spivey, in his book, “The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez” pages 33-35.  If you have this book, you can read even more details.

By 1919 Maria and Julian were producing vessels that were not only technically outstanding but artistically superior.  The classical shapes were flawless, and the new shapes were well proportioned, graceful, and pleasing.  Julian’s sense of design worked in harmony with the surface he was to decorate, creating masterpieces of art on pottery.

It was in the winter of 1919-20 that experiments begun by Maria and Julian resulted in the now famous matte-black-on-polished black ware.  The first piece of which there is a record was accessioned in 1920 by the Museum of New Mexico.  (It is the same style as this one).  In 1919 in his first experiments with matte painting on polished wares, Julian chose as the motif his own version of the avanyu.  With this he had a choice of painting the avanyu in solid matte on an unfired, polished vessel, or of producing a polished avanyu on the matte surface of an unpolished vessel.  He chose the latter process.

He outlined the wavy form of an avanyu encircling the moistened body of a jar and then left the polishing to Maria.  It was a difficult task.  She could not use a free sweeping motion of the polishing stone.  This left the edges uneven.  Although they could be more sharply defined by retouching the edges of the surrounding matte surface with a brush, the combination was not satisfactory because of the comparatively great expanse of matte surface which was unattractive to the eye and harsh to the touch.  The lack of sales appeal led the couple to abandon their initial experiments.  Only a few specimens of this type were made.  (I have heard numbers like only 6 or 7 were made but this is not known for sure).

This jar measures 8” hi x 12-¼” diameter, the exact size of the one in the museum’s collection.  Maria said this is the first of its type that she made.  This jar is a serious historical piece of the work of Maria and Julian and represents the very first attempts to produce what is now known as Black-on-black pottery. 

Condition: has had some restoration to repair and conceal three large cracks, but its rarity overcomes that.  The restoration was professional and was beautifully done.

Provenance: this Rare Very Early Marie and Julian Black-on-black Pottery Jar is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez by Richard Spivey

Relative Links: Julian Martinez, Mimbres, Maria, pottery, Santana, Southwest Indian Pottery, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery, Maria Martinez, San Ildefonso Pueblo Potter