San Ildefonso Tonita Roybal Black-on-red Jar [R]

Tonita Roybal was a potter, early at the beginning of the 20th century, who probably started making pottery as early as 1905 and continued until she passed away in 1945.  Her earliest documented pot is 1909, located in the Denver Art Museum.  Many collectors are not familiar with the pottery of Tonita Roybal because she passed away so early, but one dealer and collector was an all-time fan of her work.  Richard M. Howard of Santa Fe believed she was probably the finest potter at San Ildefonso in the first half of the 20th century but was overshadowed by fame bestowed on Maria Martinez.  Over a number of years, he put together a collection of perhaps a hundred pottery vessels by Tonita and his collection was displayed and sold by Nedra Matteucci Galleries in Santa Fe in 2007 just shortly before Mr. Howard passed away.

Tonita, in her early years, not only made all her own pottery, she decorated it as well. Only after she married Juan Cruz Roybal in 1916, did she have someone else paint the pottery for her. After 1930, her husband painted most of the pottery.

San Ildefonso Black-on-red pottery was made concurrent with San Ildefonso Polychrome until around 1920. (Harlow, Francis. Modern Pueblo Pottery 1880-1960).  Principally, the Black-on-red was made by Dominguita Pino (1860-1948) and her daughter, Tonita Roybal (1892-1945).  In this type, the design was painted on in black guaco over a completely red slip.  A photograph by Parkhurst in 1925 of Juan Cruz Roybal and Tonita Roybal shows an abundance of blackware pottery and no Black-on-red, another indication that the redware period was over for this potter.

This small jar probably dates to the early 1910s, a time when Tonita was a teenager and before she married Juan Cruz Roybal.  It is not signed with the name of the maker, a normal occurrence of the time. Interestingly, the design below the mid-section of the jar is based on the Zuni Pueblo Rain Bird design.  The mid-body and neck design elements are seen on the polychrome wares of the same period.  The black dots on the interior of the neck were placed on with the tip of the little finger.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from a collector from Houston, Texas