Black-on-black Small Jar with Geometric Design signed Marie and Santana [SOLD]

Maria’s oldest son was Adam and his wife was Santana, and it was Santana who worked with Maria following the death of Julian in 1943.  Adam stepped in and helped with the firing for Maria Marinez.  There were two periods in which Santana collaborated with Maria.  The earlier one was from 1943, when Julian passed away, and it lasted to 1956, at which time Popovi Da replaced Santana and helped his mom.  Those pieces are signed Marie and Santana.  Maria did not immediately stop working with Santana when she began working with Popovi but did continue on and off for a few more years.  Those pieces are signed Maria &Santana.

This small jar is signed Marie & Santana, so it dates to the period 1943 to 1956.  It illustrates beautifully Santana’s ability to paint a design with precision.  The burnish is mirror-like, testimony to the talent of Maria’s sister, Clara, who spent her days polishing pottery for Maria.  We can assume that Adam performed the firing process, so we have a collaborative effort of several members of Maria’s family involved.

Condition: original condition.  There is one small spot where the clay depressed during the polishing process, but that is part of the original process so it is not considered a flaw.

Recommended Reading:  The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez by Richard Spivey. This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery

Provenance:  from a family estate in Alexandria, Virginia