This is an unusually designed plate by Maria Martinez and her husband, Julian.  Maria would make the pottery and Julian would paint the design.  The unique aspects of this piece are the size and the design.  This piece is as much an open bowl as a “plate”, as there is a curvature to the rim. The piece is painted with three interlocking San Ildefonso “great birds”. The birds are tightly painted and the heads swirl around the rim of the piece.  The center is a triangular shape with thin lines. What makes the design on this piece work so well is the use of the negative space of the polished surface.  Note how the polished areas show through the heads of the birds or the feathers on their heads.  It was fired to a near gunmetal coloration.  The piece is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  The plate is signed on the back in the clay, “Marie + Julian”.  In terms of the photos, I tried to take them at different angles and different lighting to reveal both design and condition.  This is definitely one of those exciting pieces by Maria & Julian Martinez which rarely come around to the marketplace!

Maria Martinez Signatures