Artist Media Series
Living Artists
Historic
$ 200.00
Tomasita Montoya was one of the early revivalists in San Juan pottery. She was one of the original eight San Juan potters who revived the art form in the 1930s. The Pueblo was renowned for their pottery but by about 1900 there were no potters left. In 1930 Regina Cata organized a pottery study group at San Juan Pueblo with the intent of revitalizing pottery production. The group studied ancient potsherds of wares made at San Juan in earlier times and selected Potsuwi‘i Incised Ware (1450-1500) as a basis for a contemporary pottery type. This bowl is a collaborative piece with her daughter, Dominguita Sisneros. The bowl was made by Tomasita and incised by Dominguita. The top and bottom are polished a deep red coloration. The central section is very tightly incised with cloud and rain designs. The rain is the linear pattern that separates each of the sections. The recessed area of the incised designs has a mica slip. The bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tomasita Montoya, Dominguita Sisneros”.