RARE STYLE Of Maria Martinez - San Ildefonso Black On Black Kiva Jar, C. 1920s
Item History & Price
-San Ildefonso Black on Black Kiva Jarc. 1920s / 4.75" x 8"
Signed "Marie"This pottery is in fair condition. There is significant surface wear, and chips. A rare style! If this was in mint condition, this would be a $6, 000 jar!Acquired from a private collection in Colorado. The owner had an antique store, and had been a collector for over 30 years.
Please reference item P2946.
San Ildefonso pueblo has long been... considered the epicenter for thepueblo pottery movement. This is the birthplace of Maria Martinez and thenewer form of San Ildefonso pottery. The famous black-on-black pottery, once a token tourist piece, now graces the highest mantles and shelves ofmuseums worldwide.
A growing interest in NativeAmerican by anthropologists and archeologists of the Smithsonian Institutionled to the excavation of Avanyu black-on-black pottery and subsequent attemptto emulate the pottery by Maria Martinez. The attempt to emulate an olderstyle spawned a new form of firing pottery.
Maria Martinez and her husbandJulian did more than discover a method of firing pottery in a low oxygenenvironment and create a blackened, opulent pottery. They transformed apueblo and created a movement that benefited Native Americans and spawned anart form worthy of worldwide recognition. Similar to most pueblo artists, regardless ofpueblo, it was (and still is) a 'family affair' in the creating ofpottery. If only in the collecting of materials, family memberscontribute at all stages. Maria's pottery has numerous signatures ofpeople who helped with the decoration.The making of San Ildefonso pottery is alaborious task requiring great skill. From the gathering of the clay, forming of the vessel, painting, and finally, the firing, the potter may havevested 15-50 hours per vessel.MedicineMan Gallery has been in the Antique Native American art business since 1992. We have one of the largestinventories of Antique Native American art for sale in the country, offering NavajoRugs and Blankets, American Pueblo Pottery, Indian Baskets, Hopi Kachinas, OldPawn Jewelry, Contemporary Native American Jewelry, and Native AmericanBeadwork, as well as Ethnographic Art, Western Americana and Art of the West. Before purchasingplease feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about thecondition of this item; we are happy to send additional images.