San Ildefonso Black Stone-Polished Jar signed Maria Poveka [R]

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a most appropriate statement when collectors are considering the black pottery made by Maria Martinez and her family.  Some find the jars that are decorated with the feather design or the Avanyu serpent design as the most striking.  Others find the plain undecorated stone-polished blackware to be the ultimate.

I, for one, find that the undecorated jars stand out above others because the beauty of them is in the shape of the vessel and in the burnishing of the surface.  There is no decoration to detract from those qualities.  This jar, for instance, is absolutely magnificent in its simplicity.  It has a graceful shape with a long sensuous neck that rolls out to an undulating rim.  One cannot look at this jar without feeling an emotion of awe. 

Maria was a master potter and everything she made evidences such, but her plainware jars are just the ultimate in beauty.  This is certainly one to consider.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from an Albuquerque gentleman

Recommended Reading:  The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez by Richard Spivey