Jar (Olla) with Feathers and Avanyu
- Jar (Olla) with Feathers and Avanyu
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Maria and Julian Martinez were famous and innovative potters of the Southwest. Their beautifully rounded Black-on-Black Jar features the undulating bodies of avanyu, a mythical water serpent.
Both Maria and her husband, Julian, were born in the pueblo of San Ildefonso in New Mexico. A highly regarded center for Southwest American pottery, San Ildefonso is known for its painted figures and contrasting matte-on-polished surfaces.
Maria molded pots, and Julian painted the decorations. Working with archaeologists studying ancient pottery, the Martinezes were inspired to revive and revitalize traditional motifs. Julian developed a clay-based paint that remains matte (flat) when fired in a kiln, and as a result he was able to re-create the technique known as black-on-black pottery. The contrast of highly polished and flat surfaces gives this pottery dramatic impact. Julian rarely repeated decorative motifs except for his famous avanyu.
ProvenanceThe artists; purchased by [C. G. Wallace and Company, Gallup, NM, by 1943] [1] [2]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg (1882–1975), Houston, 1943–1944; given to MFAH, 1944.
[1] Receipts dated August 30 and 31, 1943.
Exhibition History"Containers and Vessels" The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston October 21, 1989 - January 1990. Subsequent tour.
Published References "The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, A Permanent Legacy," Introduction by Dr. Peter C. Marzio, Houston, 1989
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