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LARGE & EXTREMELY RARE SIGNED " TONITA & JUAN " 1930's TONITA MARTINEZ ROYBAL & JUAN CRUZ ROYBAL SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO BLACK-ON-BLACK BEAR CLAW in SNOW with CLOUD and ARROWHEAD DESIGN JAR POT.

Born in 1892 in San Ildefonso Pueblo, Tonita (Antonita) Martinez was part of the same close-knit family that Maria Martinez was born into in 1887. In 1904, when 17 year old Maria Montoya married Julian Martinez, Tonita had already been taught the art of hand-coiled pottery by her mother, Dominguita Martinez. (See third to last photo of Tonita, taken in 1905 from " The Living Tradition of Maria Martinez " by Susan Peterson.) According to , though they were near in age, Tonita was an early pottery instuctor to Maria Martinez herself. (See next to last photo; Maria Martinez in center, Tonita Martinez far right.) In 1919, Tonita married Juan Cruz Roybal and he began to help her paint her famous black-on-black and polychrome pottery. (See last photo.) Soon, in 1926, their niece, Santana Roybal would marry Marie and JulianÂ's oldest son, Adam. Both Julian and Tonita had their lives cut short, Julian passing in 1943 and Tonita in 1945. TonitaÂ's niece Santana started signing pieces with Maria after JulianÂ's death. Juan would live from 1896 to 1990.

It all started in 1909, when an excavation near San Ildefonso turned up shards of an ancient polished charcoal black pottery that had never been seen before in the American Southwest. The team working on the excavation wanted to find an Indian woman in the vicinity to replicate the pots as they would have been when whole. They were recommended Maria Martinez and it changed her and her familyÂ's lives forever. Maria and her family, including Tonita Martinez, developed the clay slip and the smothering fire which carbonized the clay black. When they started painting designs in a refractory clay slip after the pot was polished, the pottery came to be called BLACK-ON-BLACK ware.

This Wonderful Large Handcoiled Blackware Jar measures 7 ½" tall by 7" wide and tapers to a non-flared mouth. It has a 4" band of clay slip hand decoration in stylistic Bear Claws, Arrowheads, Clouds, and Rain or Snow pattern. T are four Bear Claw or Bear Paw in swirling designs spaced around the jar. T is a band of characteristic Martinez "clouds" on the shoulder of the pot. T are no chips, cracks or hairlines in the vase. T is some age-appropriate wear and t are scrapes, but the piece is still stunning in display. I have tried to show some of the worn spots emphasized by bright sunlight. Any flaws are not as noticeable in normal lighting. In dim light, the pot appears glossy black with matte black designs. This pot was said to have been in the same family since the 1940's. Juan's hand painted slip work is intricate and exquisite. It is easy to see why their work was considered some of the finest ever made. It is signed in the clay on the bottom " Tonita & Juan ". Very rare to find a pot signed by both, as usually Tonita signed the pots herself. Tonita is sometimes called the second most famous San Ildefonso potter, and she is considered one of the finest potters of the twentieth century. This Large 1930's Native American Indian Jar is in Great Condition and Valued at over $3000+. 's your chance to own some New Mexico San Ildefonso pueblo history at No Reserve and Low Shipping with Insurance Included!

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