Gonzales, Barbara – Polychrome Jar with Avanyu, Turquoise and Coral

Barbara Gonzales is a great-great-granddaughter of Maria Martinez.  She is known for her innovative pottery which combines etched designs with inset stones.  This is one of her few polychrome pieces.  Her polychrome pottery is a reflection of the early polychrome pieces by Maria Martinez.  The jar is coil-built and then slipped with mica on the outside and red clay on the inside.  The outside is painted before it is fired.  The jar is painted with  avanyu (water serpent) encircling the piece.  Below the avanyu are cloud patterns.  After it was fired, there are inset pieces of coral and turquoise.  There is inset turquoise for the eye of the avanyu and three pieces of coral in the clouds.  The bottom of the piece is signed in the clay, “Than-Moo-Whe”, which is her name in Tewa.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.

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Gonzales, Barbara (b. 1947)

Barbara Gonzales is a great-granddaughter of Maria Martinez, and the granddaughter of noted potters Santana & Adam. Barbara learned to make pottery from Maria and Santana and created her own distinctive style in the 1970s. The use of spiders dominates much of her work and the spiders are all seen as symbols of good luck. Her pottery is signed on the bottom, "Tahn Moo Whe" which is her name in Tewa. Barbara has won numerous awards for her pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Indian Market, and other events. Her work can be found in museums nationwide and she is also featured in various books, including "The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez".