Stone-Polished Black Jar Signed Maria Poveka [SOLD]

During Maria’s very long career, she worked with her husband Julian, her daughter-in-law Santana, her son Popovi Da, and occasionally her grandson Tony Da. She also made pieces of pottery all by herself that are plain black, void of any decoration, and signed Maria Poveka.

This beautiful black jar is one of those made by Maria alone and it is flawless. The surface is smooth and a beautiful consistent dark black. Maria was a master potter and this vessel is testimony to that.

Provenance: Maria was invited to demonstrate pottery making at a design workshop for students from the University of Colorado when they were visiting Santa Fe in 1959. This piece was made during the demonstration and purchased that day. It has been in the same collection since.

COMMENTS: Some experts have contended that smothering pottery during the firing process creates a carbon smoke that penetrates the pottery, turning it black. Even though several books describing black pueblo pottery attribute the color change to carbon, the reduction of iron oxide is the correct mechanism. Ceramicists, describing ancient styles of Old World pottery, state that iron impurities in clay form red oxide at red heat, but if air is lacking during firing, iron impurities in clay form black magnetite.