This is a classic gunmetal fired plate by Santana and Adam Martinez, with a great story and provenance to go with it!  Adam was the youngest son of Maria Martinez, and Santana (his wife) painted Maria’s pottery in the 1940-50s.  The entire surface of this piece is fully polished.  The feather design was then painted around the rim of the plate.  It was fired to a nearly perfect gunmetal coloration.  It’s not often I see a plate with such a perfect coloration from the firing and such tightly painted feathers!  The plate is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It signed on the back in the clay, “Santana & Adam”.   Now for the story and provenance. The plate comes to us from the collection of Richard Spivey, who wrote the books on Maria Martinez.  I have attached the sheet he wrote up when he acquired this piece.  The plate was made around 1970 and he bought it in Santa Fe.  He includes an interesting note about the piece on the sheet that makes it a great story. He wrote, “On August 5, 1977 Maria Martinez examined this piece was certain that she made this plate, because, as she stated, ‘Santana does note makes plates this large”.  What the veracity is of that statement, I’m not entirely sure. However, it is a larger large plate and rather deep (not flat) and perfectly polished and painted.  EIther way, it is a stunning piece of history in clay!