Remarkable San Ildefonso Pueblo Historic Polychrome Pottery Jar [SOLD]

This remarkable polychrome olla stands as a testament to the artistic talents of Martina Vigil and Florentino Montoya, renowned artisans from San Ildefonso Pueblo. Martina, the creator of the jar, and Florentino, the painter, collaborated on this piece during an era when artist signatures were not yet commonplace. Despite the lack of a signature, their distinctive style is unmistakable and well-documented, allowing us to attribute this piece to them with certainty.

The presence of a traditional San Ildefonso stone-polished slip allows us to date this piece to the late 1800s. The pair later transitioned to using a rag-wiped Cochiti slip, which they introduced to their peers shortly before relocating to Cochiti in 1905. Although the olla shows little signs of wear, its age is palpable and visible.

The exterior of the olla is encircled by two design bands. The upper band features a traditional pattern around the neck, with rectangular boxes, each continuing a design of diagonal black outline red soft triangles resting on a black outlined right angle triangle with semicircles on one leg. The pair then rest on a black right angle triangle with semi circles.This design is repeated eight times around the neck. The rim is black and hovers over a pair of black framing lines. Below the neck design is a single framing line.

In the lower band, which occupies the majority of the olla's exterior, Florentino placed an elegant design suspended from the single black framing line, which he repeated five times around the vessel. Each of these floats on the cream background slip. Each of the mirror-image designs has a black-outlined red triangle with a black-outlined eye. Adjacent to this is a black triangle with a Fleur de lis tip. The black-outlined red triangles with an eye have been associated with Florentino's designs on many other vessels, so it is as if it is a signature of his work.

The bold pigments enhance the fluidity and expressiveness of the design. Martina's vessel shape complements the elegance of the design. This olla is a truly exceptional example of historic San Ildefonso polychrome pottery.

Martina Vigil (1856-1916) and Florentino Montoya (1858-1918) were a married couple from San Ildefonso Pueblo. As Jonathan Batkin has documented, there were several outstanding potters at San Ildefonso Pueblo during the late 1800s and early 1900s whose work can accurately be associated with their names. Following the publication of Batkin's studies, it has become easier today to identify late 19th and early 20th century pottery to artists with some degree of accuracy, or so we hope. Due to their unique style, Martina and Florentino are among those artists whose works can be accurately identified. Martina and Florentino were cited as a major influence by Maria Martinez. As of 1999, one of their works held the record for the highest price paid for a single pot in the Western Hemisphere.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Remarkable San Ildefonso Pueblo Historic Polychrome Pottery Jar is from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery

Reference and Recommended Reading: "Martina Vigil and Florentino Montoya: Master Potters of San Ildefonso and Cochiti Pueblos". American Indian Art Magazine, Volume 12, Number 4, Autumn 1987.

TAGS: Southwest Indian Pottery, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Historic Pottery, Martina Vigil and Florentino Montoya, San Ildefonso Pueblo Potters