Maria (1887-1980, San Ildefonso) and Julian Martinez (1879-1943, San Ildefonso), black ware bowl, molded, pinched, and hand-coiled, with painted Avanyu (water serpent design), signed on base, circa 1925-1943, accompanied with framed vintage postcard

height 5 in. x diameter 7 in.

Condition: Slight scuffs and scratches on exterior, apparent water damage on rim, discoloration and some bubbled glaze in interior

Provenance: Property from the collection of a San Antonio, Texas lady

Maria Martinez was one of the most prolific Native American artists of the twentieth century and the first Pueblo potter to sign her pieces. Her work, which she made alongside her husband, Julian Martinez, until his death in 1943, was based on archeological pottery shards excavated by Edgar Lee Hewitt at Pajarito Plateau in 1907. Hewett encouraged Maria and her husband to experiment with different firing and glazing techniques in order to create contemporary examples of the ancient shards. By 1921, they had mastered the process of creating black on black pottery, and soon her work was in high demand. She has been featured in galleries and exhibitions across the country, and her work is in the collections of museums such as the Smithsonian Museum of Art and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This bowl was made by both Maria and Julian, and is dated as pre-1943.