This is an exceptional bowl by Tonita Roybal.  Tonita and her mother, Dominguita Pino, were both very well known for their black-on-red pottery before the advent of the black-on-black pottery in 1920. While they were one of her most iconic styles, very few of them remain today, especially in good condition.  This bowl is an early piece from the 1920s.   While numerous potters were making black-on-red pieces before 1920, Tonita was certainly among the best and her signed pieces in this style remain classics.  This bowl is fully designed with some of Tonita’s classic imagery. There are clouds, rain, lightning, and other designs.  There are also striking areas of linear rain patterns.  The black is painted onto the red clay surface.  The bowl is signed, “Tonita” on the bottom.  This is a signature from probably closer to 1925-8.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is an important and striking piece of her pottery both in terms of coloration and design.

Early San Ildefonso Pottery Innovators -1920-1940