Jar with Feather Motif

Maria MartinezWW-1956-143272

1956·Earthenware and slip·22.9 × 22.9 cm (9 × 9 in.) (at widest point)

<p>In the early 20th century, Maria Martinez and her husband, Julian, revived an ancient Puebloan tradition of making all-black pottery. These works were markedly different from ceramics then being created in San Ildefonso and elsewhere in the Southwest. Martinez polished the clay surface to a high shine and painted matte designs over it. Her vessels were then fired through a technique called “reduction firing,” which causes the clay to turn black. These blackware vessels earned Martinez international acclaim.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1956
Medium: Earthenware and slip
Dimensions: 22.9 × 22.9 cm (9 × 9 in.) (at widest point)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Maria Martinez

Artist

Maria Martinez

Mixed Media

Maria Martinez was an American potter born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, who revived and refined the blackware ceramic tradition of her community. Working in hand-coiled clay without a wheel, she developed a distinctive polished black-on-black technique that became synonymous with Pueblo pottery of the twentieth century. Her vessels, characterized by matte and burnished surfaces and subtle geometric forms, established a new standard for indigenous ceramic practice and influenced generations of potters across the Southwest.

Full artist profile →