This is a spectacular gunmetal-fired jar by Maria Martinez and her son, Popovi Da.  Maria made and polished the jar while it was painted by her son, Popovi Da  (1923-1971). The jar is highly polished and a bird wing, lighting, and hatchure design across the surface.  It is one of Popovi’s more complicated designs.  His line-work was always dramatic yet something he rarely painted on his pottery. The jar was fired to a silvery, gunmetal appearance.  This is one of the best, fully gunmetal pieces, we have had in a while. Nearly the entire surface is a rich silver-metallic coloration.  It’s not often we see pieces like this and in such perfect condition.  Do you notice some small black areas on the surface? Those are from the firing and are the manure or hay that burned into the clay and are part of the process.  If the piece was deep black, they would still be there but be noticeable but the silver makes them stand out.  It is an exciting and interesting part of the traditional firing process.  The bowl is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Maria Popovi 669“. The firing date signature indicates that it was fired in June 1969, making it a later piece of their pottery.   The jar is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  Spectacular!

Maria Martinez Signatures