Tomasita Montoya is one of the early revivalists in San Juan pottery. This bowl is incised with a plant design.  The designs is then slipped with both a purple (mauve) colored clay along with a red clay.  The design is unusual as it reads horizontally across the surface of the piece.  The top and bottom are both polished red.  The mauve clay slip is one which was popular in the late 1930’s in both Santa Clara Pueblo and San Juan. It is signed on the bottom with a white clay slip, “Tomasita Montoya”. This style of signing pottery was popular in the late 1930s at Santa Clara Pueblo and also at San Juan.  The bowl is in good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Tomasita was one of the original seven San Juan potters who revived the art form in the 1930s.  The Pueblo was renown for their pottery but by about 1890 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.

“Revival Rising” Ohkay Owingeh Pottery 1930s-60s