In the 1950s Maria Martinez created a series of pieces that were simply stone polished with no design.  As she primarily made the pottery and polished it this was fitting with the other pieces of her career.  This bowl is her classic round shape and is highly polished.  It was fired to a silvery black nearly gunmetal coloration.  It is that “mirror-like” surface for which Maria was famous.  The bowl is signed in the clay, “Maria Poveka”.  This is a combination of her Anglo and Tewa names.  Her name, “Poveka” means “Water Lilly”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.

Maria Martinez Signatures