This is a larger, intricately painted bowl by Maria Martinez and her husband, Julian.  Maria would make and polish the pottery and Julian would paint the design.  They began to sign “Marie + Julian” after about 1925.  The jar is a classic shape for Maria’s pottery with a sharp edge to the shoulder and a sloping side.  The jar is painted with a series of rain, cloud, and lightning designs. The design is repeated four times and note the linear patterns, which are a signature style of Julian’s painting.  The design is one that is typical of Julian’s painting in the late 1920s or early 1930s.  The jar was fired to a glassy black coloration.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Marie + Julian”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair but some rough areas near the base.

Maria Martinez Signatures