Santa Ana Pueblo Tall Polychrome Pottery Jar by Eudora Montoya [SOLD]

Santa Ana artist Eudora Montoya has created a vessel filled with designs not normally seen on Santa Ana Pueblo pottery. The artist placed what appears to be a katsina face as the main element of design—note the eyes and the wide red band which represents a mouth below which is a hanging beard. A large wide rainbow encompasses the katsina face. Eagle feathers were placed at the end of the rainbow.  This design is repeated on both sides of the jar. Although her pottery was traditional in materials and construction, generally her designs were creations of her own.

Eudora Montoya (1905-1996) is the most well recognized potter from Santa Ana Pueblo. She singly revived pottery production at the pueblo in the 1970s by teaching classes to a group of 18 women.  This revival spurred interest in Santa Ana contemporary pottery but that did not last long because most of the new potters did not continue production. Once again, pottery from Santa Ana faded into history. One of Montoya's former students—Elvira S. Montoya—instituted another revival in 1994, a revival that is still surviving, but barely.  At this time there are only three active potters at Santa Ana, one of whom is from Zia Pueblo and produces pottery more like that from Zia than from Santa Ana, so, effectively, there are only two Santa Ana potters producing today.

Eudora Montoya was one of 19 potters selected in the early 1970s to go to Washington, D.C. to present pottery to then First Lady, Mrs. Richard M. Nixon, at the White House.  One potter from each of the 19 active pueblos was selected for this honor. She had begun making pottery around 1920 and continued, on and off, until the 1980s.

Condition: this Santa Ana Pueblo Tall Polychrome Pottery Jar by Eudora Montoya is in original condition. The artist signed her name and pueblo in cursive script.

Provenance: Originally purchased in 2010 from a gentleman from Bernalillo, NM who had purchased it directly from the potter in the late 1980s. Now from the client to whom we previously sold it in 2010.

Recommended Reading:  The Pottery of Santa Ana Pueblo by Francis H. Harlow, et al.

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Pottery, Santa Ana Pueblo - Tamaya, Contemporary, Eudora Montoya