Santana Melchor was one of the great potters from Santo Domingo throughout the 1900’s. This water jar is a classic shape with a round shoulder and slightly turned neck.  The surface of the jar is polished and then painted with mineral slips.  The neck of the jar has a rain pattern while the body of the jar has cloud designs.  The rim has the classic Santo Domingo “spirit line” where there is a space in the painting.  The interior of the neck is slipped with red clay that is stone polished.  What you can’t feel is the surface, which is burnished, has a smoother than expected feel, and the black a deeper appearance. It is signed on the bottom, “Santana Melchor”.  The jar is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  Did you know she was present in the 1974 delegation of Pueblo potters who visited the White House as a guest of first lady Pat Nixon (see last photo).