It is not often we see such a redware jar by Tonita Roybal.  This piece is from the 1930s and it was made and polished by Tonita and painted by her husband Juan. The jar is a deep red coloration and the design is painted with a red clay slip, creating the red-on-red style.  In the 1930s this was still “new” as the painted redware only originated around 1925.  The jar is one of her classic shapes with a low shoulder and elongated neck.  Juan Cruz Roybal was known as one of the masterful pottery painters at San Ildefonso Pueblo.  The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tonita + Juan”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  There is one small area near the base where there is discoloration from a tag in the past.  At least the slip is not removed and it adds to the history of the jar.

Early San Ildefonso Pottery Innovators -1920-1940