Contemporary San Ildefonso Pueblo Black Carved Jar [SOLD]

This jar was originally purchased from the Popovi Da Studio at San Ildefonso Pueblo.  The Popovi Da Studio was originally opened to display and sell pottery by Maria Martinez and family members.  Popovi eventually added pottery and paintings by other local artists to his inventory.  After Popovi died in 1972, his widow Anita Da continued operating the studio for several years and finally closed it sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s.  Popovi’s personal collection of Martinez family pottery that was displayed at the Studio was then sold to the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos.

Rose Gonzales was one of the potters featured at Popovi’s Studio.  She was originally from Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan) Pueblo. After she married Robert Gonzales of San Ildefonso Pueblo she moved there with him. Rose was a sister of Pomasena Sanchez. She was the mother of Jose H. Rainbird Gonzales, Tse-Pé Gonzales, and Marie Gonzales Yazzie. Rose learned pottery making from Ramona Sanchez Gonzales, her mother-in-law. Rose's parents died from the swine flu epidemic of 1918, leaving Rose and her sister Pomasena orphaned. The girls survived by staying at the Santa Fe Indian School. Mary Cata, a relative, adopted and cared for the girls.  Rose lived at San Ildefosno for the remainder of her life.

This small black carved jar features a design of geometrics backed by matte black.  The rim and underbody are highly polished and the firing produced a beautiful black finish.  The Contemporary San Ildefonso Pueblo Black Carved Jar is signed with the name Rose on the underside.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Santa Fe

Recommended Reading:  Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf