Jar with Feather Motif
Maria Martinez
1956–1971
- Medium
- Earthenware and slip
- Dimensions
- 22.9 × 22.9 cm (9 × 9 in.) (at widest point)
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
blackwareamericasvesselsearthenwarevesselpuebloceramicsnative americaninorganic materialsouthwestnative north americanArts of the Americasblackware (black basaltes)ceramicart of the americassan ildefonso
About
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.
