San Ildefonso Tall-neck Black-on-black Jar signed Marie [SOLD]

Maria Martinez was a very talented potter.  She had the creativeness to devise numerous vessel shapes and each was visually superior to the shapes of others.  This tall-neck jar is a good example.  The lower body is large and visually provides a stable base to the tall slender tapering neck.  This style neck on a body of lesser volume would not be as pleasing—a fact Maria understood.

This jar is signed Marie, which would place its date in the 1920s and would indicate that it was decorated by Julian.  The neck design is a series of clouds and S-shaped design encircles the widest area of the body, designs that fit the shape of the vessel beautifully.

Many pottery jars of this shape were converted to lamps in the mid-20^th century but this one has not been drilled and was not used as a lamp base.

Condition: structurally in excellent condition but there are some scratches mostly on the mid- and lower-areas.

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Pennsylvania

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