It is not often that we come across a large bowl by Maria Martinez in such great condition.  This bowl is from 1920-25 and it was made and polished by Maria Martinez and painted by her husband, Julian.  These early pieces are signed, “Marie”, although Julian was painting the designs.  It was not until around 1925 that they began to sign both names to the pottery.   This bowl has a wide mouth and the painting is on the side around the shoulder.  The design is a very early style of the eagle feather pattern. Note at the top of the feather, the rectangular black matte area, which is in the center of the feather.  As time progress, that moved to one side so that it was easier to paint, as it took more time to paint it in the center of the feather.  However, the result is always visually striking with the older style. This bowl is highly polished and fired with near-gunmetal areas on the surface. The gunmetal color achieved on these early pieces was from the heat of the firing.  The bowl is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Marie”.

To learn more about Maria’s signatures, click here.