San Ildefonso Pueblo Black Carved Pottery Jar by Susana Martinez Aguilar [SOLD]

The uniqueness of this pottery jar is the way San Ildefonso Pueblo artist Susana Aguilar displayed the Avanyu, water serpent, which is a quite striking result. Most potters display an Avanyu over a narrow strip of matte black sandwiched between two stone-polished bands. Susana chose to carve away such an area and leave a large matte black background in which the Avanyu could swim as if in the darkness of deep water.

This black carved jar could easily be considered to fall in the Historic Period of pueblo pottery as it was probably made between 1925-1940. We have consistently listed blackware pottery in the contemporary category on our site so we will do so with this one for consistency.

Susana Aguilar (ca.1876-1949) was a contemporary of Maria Martinez and Tonita Roybal.  She was an active potter from around 1895-1947. According to Batkin, "Susana was a skilled potter whose work has been unfairly overlooked by many; her pots are among the most finely made of the 1920s and 1930s."

Susana was the wife of Ignacio Aguilar, whose mother, Marianita Roybal Aguilar, is known as the earliest potter who can be identified by name because she signed her name to a vessel she created in 1881.  It is the earliest signed vessel from any potter of any pueblo.

Susana is thought to have begun signing her pottery around 1925.  Pottery made before that date was not signed. Her son, Joe Aguilar, may have painted some of her jars.  

"According to Maureen Grammer, Susana was encouraged to experiment with new styles by Kenneth Chapman.  She made some painted redware that looked similar to Four Mile, a style of prehistoric pottery. She also painted whiteware seed jars in a style similar to the Hopi-Tewa potter Nampeyo." (Schaaf 2000)

Most references to pottery by Susanna speak of redware, blackware, painted pottery, etc., but nothing mentions her carved pottery, similar to that from Santa Clara Pueblo potters.  This jar is carved in that style. Perhaps it was one of the Kenneth Chapman encouragements that resulted in her producing a carved jar such as this.

Susana signed her pottery Susana with large block letters often scratched into the clay.  That is the manner in which this jar is signed. Since she began signing her pottery in 1925, and she passed away in 1947, we know this jar falls within those dates.

Condition:  Structurally the San Ildefonso Pueblo Black Carved Pottery Jar by Susana Martinez Aguilar is in excellent condition.  There is some abrasion of the black slip on the top of the rim and a few scratches here and there but nothing of great significance.

Provenance: Acquired by Adobe Gallery in 2010 from a Colorado collection, sold to a client at that time from whom we now have it back to sell as she has found it necessary to downsize her collection.

References:

- Schaaf, Gregory.  Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies, 2000

- Batkin, Jonathan. Pottery of the Pueblos of New Mexico 1700-1940.  1987

Artist photo image of Susana and Joe Aguilar courtesy of Gregory Schaaf, Pueblo Indian Pottery, 750 Artist Biographies, page 156.

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Pottery, Maria Martinez, Tonita Roybal, Joe Aguilar, Contemporary Pottery, Marianita Roybal Aguilar, prehistoric pottery, San Ildefonso Pueblo