San Ildefonso Pueblo

Photo and map from Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni, Alan Hayes and John Blow

San Ildefonso is the pueblo famous for the contemporary revival of the black-on-black style of pottery to recreate the look of pottery shards found on the pueblo. About 1919 Maria Martinez and her husband Julian were responsible for developing the techniques required to create that style of pottery. They came up with the technique of applying a clay slip to a stone-polished red pot and then firing the vessel in a reducing atmosphere by smothering the fire with powdered manure and ashes. The result was a matte black design on a highly polished black pot. Eventually with further modification of the technique by Maria’s son, Popovi Da, the firings produced a gun-metal appearance. Maria is considered the matriarch of the black-on-black style and is responsible for much of the increased popularity of pueblo pottery in the 20th century.

Many potters at San Ildefonso are also producing redware with buff decoration and traditional polychrome pottery. More innovative potters such as Popovi Da created a distinctive two-tone, sienna and black combination, by using two different firings on the same pot. Popovi is also credited with being the first potter to use small bits of turquoise as inlays on pot surfaces, a technique that is now used at several pueblos. A number of potters also produce sgraffito designs in a variety of motifs. In this technique, the surface of the pot is shallowly chipped after firing to form intricate patterns of fine lines. Potter Rose Gonzales is usually credited with starting the now popular carved blackware technique around 1930. The most favored designs among San Ildefonso potters are the avanyu, or water serpent, and a stylized repeat feather motif of historic origin.

Some of the most collectible potters include Maria and Julian Martinez, Popovi Da, Santana and Adam Martinez, Rose Gonzales, Tonita Roybal, Blue Corn, Tse Pe, Carmelita Dunlap, Dora Tse Pe, Tony Da, Barbara Gonzales, Russell Sanchez, Martha Appleleaf, and Erik Fender.

Personal Collection
Polychrome water jar

Black on black bowl

Artist: Martha Appleleaf (Fender)
Size: 6" high x 10" diameter

Martha Appleleaf Fender was born in 1950 and is the daughter of Carmelita Dunlap. She learned pottery from watching her great aunts Maria Martinez and Desideria Montoya, her mother, Carmelita, and dad, Carlos Dunlap. Martha creates fairly traditional designs, but she has experimented with different clays and techniques to create green slip on red or black pottery. She also makes cream on red pots.
This pot really stood out at the gallery in Chimayo. It had such a beautiful shape and the design was painted with precision. I liked the way the design continued beyond the shoulder of the pot to the base, unlike the more traditional method. I had been looking for a Martha Appleleaf pot for quite awhile and this one was the perfect addition to our collection.

Black/red micaceous plate

Artist: Martha Appleleaf (Fender)
Size: 10.5" diameter

Polychrome bowl

Artist: Blue Corn (Crucita Gonzales Calabasas)
Size: 4" high x 9" diameter

Black on black jar

Artist: Carmelita Dunlap
Size: 6" high x 7" diameter

Carmelita Dunlap was born in 1925, and when her mother passed away at a young age, Carmelita was raised by her aunts, Maria Martinez and Desideria Montoya. She learned pottery from her aunts and she was considered to be the top protege of Maria, of that generation. Carmelita passed away in 2000. She skillfully painted motifs of nature's elements in balanced, rhythmic designs onto the polished surface using a yucca brush dipped in clay. She was known for her beautiful painting of large size pots in black-on-black, cream-on-red, and sunrise brown being the family’s specialty.
This pot caught my eye at the Heard Museum Shop in Phoenix because it was so perfectly shaped and the design was so simple and elegant, yet precise. Once we learned it was a famous Carmelita Dunlap pot we definitely had to add it to the collection because her work is so hard to find.

Buff on red water jar

Artist: Than Tsideh (Erik Sunbird Fender)
Size: 8.5" high x 7.25" diameter

Erik Fender, Than Tsideh, is the son of Martha Appleleaf so he comes from a long lineage of famous potters. Erik was born in 1970 and has been actively potting since 1985. He creates beautiful polychrome, black-on-black, black-on-red, green-on-red, and he specializes in green-on-black jars, bowls and plates. Like his mother and grandmother he creates beautiful shapes and paints very precisely.
We were excited to be invited to an Open House in Denver where Erik was the guest artist. I spotted this water jar and immediately asked George to make it my Christmas present. The red polish and firing of this pot are so well done that the pot literally glows with light. Erik signed the piece Than Tsideh.

Polychrome water jar

Artist: Than Tsideh (Erik Sunbird Fender)
Size: 9.5" high x 7.5" diameter

Recently Erik has been trying to revive traditional San Ildefonso polychrome pottery techniques. Traditional San Ildefonso Pueblo stone burnished polychrome was a technique that was a lost or dying art form. After the introduction of matte painted black and red ware, very little polychrome work continued. Even before matte painted pottery came into the picture, the use of a stone polished cream slip was abandoned in favor of the much easier to use rag polished Cochiti slip. Many people associate San Ildefonso pottery with the very popular matte painted black or red ware. They do not realize that before matte painted ware, traditional San Ildefonso pottery was composed of black on cream ware, black on red ware, and eventually evolved into the polychrome ware. Erik has been experimenting with different materials and techniques to reproduce traditional stone polished polychrome ware. He is trying to perfect the almost lost techniques of San Ildefonso stone polished polychrome ware.
This polychrome pot is outstanding because it has not only cream, black and red slips, it also has micaceous slips around the top and bottom. The background cream slip has an especially appealing almost pearl-like appearance to it. It is unusual to see a scalloped rim on Erik's pots, and it really made this one stand out so we could not resist adding it to our collection. Erik's pots are always so perfectly balanced in shape and design with precise painting.

Red sgraffito jar

Artist: Tahn Moo Whe (Barbara Gonzales)
Size: 4.5" high x 5" diameter

Barbara Gonzales was born in 1947 and is the oldest great-granddaughter of Maria Martinez. Maria gave Barbara the Indian name Tahn Moo Whe which translates to Sunbeam. Barbara worked alongside Maria and her grandmother Santana and learned the traditional ways to create black-on-black pottery. But eventually Barbara began her own pottery style creating etched black, red or duotone pots with inlaid turquoise. She has become very famous in her own right and continues to win numerous awards. Barbara traditionally adds spiders to her pottery with an inlaid turquoise stone as the body. The spider symbolizes good luck.
This pot was signed Tahn Moo Whe, 1983. We loved the beautiful deep red polish on the pot and the traditional spider motif below the shoulder of the pot.

Incised redware plate with heishi

Artist: John Gonzales
Size: 3.75" diameter

Black on black bowl

Artist: Santana and Adam Martinez
Size: 3.5" high x 5.25" diameter

Santana and Adam Martinez both came from famous San Ildefonso pottery families. Adam was the oldest son of Maria and Julian Martinez and learned to make pottery from his parents. Santana Roybal Martinez learned from her maternal grandmother, Pino Martinez, her mother Alfonsita and her aunt, Tonita Roybal. Adam and Santana lived with Maria and Julian for several years after they were married. During that time Julian trained Santana in the fine art of pottery painting. After Julian passed away in 1943 Santana began painting for Maria until Maria began collaborating with her son Popovi Da. Then Santana and Adam began making pottery of their own, around 1956. They earned widespread respect for their abilities in making and painting pottery and they passed on their techniques to their seven children who have also distinguished themselves in pottery making.
We loved the beautiful shape, high polish and perfect design of this black-on-black bowl. The polish and firing of this pot give it the beautiful gun-metal glow that only seems to be found in pottery from the direct descendants of Maria. It certainly has the feel of the matriarch Maria and we were happy to add another Martinez family pot to our collection when we saw this one for sale.

Polished black vase

Artist: Maria Poveka (Martinez)
Size: 6.75" high x 6.25" diameter

Maria Montoya Martinez was born around 1880 on the San Ildefonso pueblo and probably is the most famous of all the American Indian potters, with a career spanning 85 years. She and her husband, Julian, created the first black-on-black ware, forever changing the economy of San Ildefonso pueblo. Maria grew up creating the typical polychrome pottery of her pueblo until she and Julian were requested by some archaeologists from the Smithsonian Institution to recreate pottery like the black shards unearthed during an excavation in 1908 on the pueblo. They worked on the technique until they had perfected the use of slips to create the matte pattern and how to create the black color from red clay by firing the vessels in a reducing atmosphere using manure and ash. Maria never did her own painting, but she worked in collaboration with her husband Julian, son Popovi Da, son Adam and daughter-in-law Santana who did beautiful designs on her pottery. During the 1960-70s she created some pottery that was without designs and signed them with her Indian name Maria Poveka. There are numerous books on Maria and her work so we won’t go into more details.
We have a letter of provenance stating that this pot was given to the brother of Maria’s daughter-in-law (married to John Martinez) by Maria in the 1970s. The daughter sold the pot directly to the trading post where we bought it in December of 2004. We were so proud to have our very own legendary Maria pot added to the collection.

Black on black lidded jar

Artist: Pauline Martinez
Size: 4.25" high x 3.25" diameter

Pauline Martinez was born in 1950 on the Santa Clara pueblo. She married George Martinez, son of Santana and Adam Martinez, in 1970 and has been actively potting since that time. She learned pottery from her mother, Crecencia Tafoya of Santa Clara and her mother-in-law Santana Roybal Martinez and Clara Montoya of San Iledefonso. She makes gorgeous black-on-black pottery. Her clean painting, lovely designs, and high polish make her work exceptional. She typically does small to miniature size vessels.
This small pot was especially appealing because of the form and the small perfectly fitting lid. The polish is also exceptionally well done.

Redware bowl with heishi

Artist: Russell Sanchez
Size: 3.5" high x 3.25" diameter

Redware bowl with heishi

Artist: Russell Sanchez
Size: 3.25" high x 4" diameter

Carved black/sienna vase

Artist: Dora Tse Pe
Size: 5" high x 3.5" diameter

Dora Tse Pe was born in 1939 and has been actively potting since 1965. Dora was raised on the Zia pueblo, but when she married Tse Pe in 1961 she moved to the San Iledefonso pueblo. Tse Pe was already a fine potter who had learned from his mother, Rose Gonzales. Dora, Popovi Da and Tony Da were the early innovators of duotones, sgraffito and inlaying stones into their creations. Dora trained and has actively encouraged Russell Sanchez as a potter. Her children are active potters as well.
Dora refires some of her pots to create sienna rims on the black clay. She has also advanced the use of glittering micaceous slips. Both of those techniques are evident on this pot. The entire bottom half of the pot has micaceous slip. The carving of the avanyu is very precise and the choice of the turquoise stone for the eye seems to give the serpent personality.

Incised green vase

Artist: Jeniifer Sisneros Tse Pe
Size: 2" high x 2.25" diameter

Polished red micaceous sgraffito vase

Artist: Tse Pe (Gonzales)
Size: 5.5" high x 4" diameter

Tse Pe Gonzales was born in 1940 to the well-known potter Rose Gonzales. His teachers were his mother and both his grandmothers. Tse Pe was already a known potter when he married Dora and they began collaborating on innovative pottery along with Popovi Da and Tony Da. He worked in traditional redware and blackware and used both carving techniques and sgraffito, but he is probably best known for his polished mica slips, green clay and inlayed turquoise with asymmetrical designs.
I was so excited to see two of Tse Pe's pots at a trading post on the San Ildefonso pueblo because it is rare to find any of his work for sale and these pots had a lot of his innovative style on them. To top it off the prices were less than the current value because the trading post had been closed for four years. This pot has a beautiful polished micaceous finish that glitters in the light.

Sgraffito red micaceous vase with green bear

Artist: Tse Pe (Gonzales)
Size: 6.75" high x 4.5" diameter

See above for artist details
We loved this fun vase. The vase is not perfectly symmetrical, but Tse Pe used it to his advantage in orienting the carved green bear. This pot uses all of his innovative techniques from micaceous slip, sgraffito, green clay, and the inlay of heishi for the bears eye and a large turquoise nugget for decoration and balance.

Cream on redware jar

Artist: Doug and Charlotte Vigil
Size: 2.25" high x 3.75" diameter

Black on black bowl	Artist: Martha Appleleaf (Fender) Size: 6" high x 10" diameter Martha Appleleaf Fender was born in 1950 and is the daughter of Carmelita Dunlap. She learned pottery from watching her great aunts Maria Martinez and Desideria Montoya, her mother, Carmelita, and dad, Carlos Dunlap. Martha creates fairly traditional designs, but she has experimented with different clays and techniques to create green slip on red or black pottery. She also makes cream on red pots. This pot really stood out at the gallery in Chimayo. It had such a beautiful shape and the design was painted with precision. I liked the way the design continued beyond the shoulder of the pot to the base, unlike the more traditional method. I had been looking for a Martha Appleleaf pot for quite awhile and this one was the perfect addition to our collection.
Black/red micaceous plate	Artist: Martha Appleleaf (Fender) Size: 10.5" diameter
Polychrome bowl	Artist: Blue Corn (Crucita Gonzales Calabasas) Size: 4" high x 9" diameter
Black on black jar	Artist: Carmelita Dunlap Size: 6" high x 7" diameter Carmelita Dunlap was born in 1925, and when her mother passed away at a young age, Carmelita was raised by her aunts, Maria Martinez and Desideria Montoya. She learned pottery from her aunts and she was considered to be the top protege of Maria, of that generation. Carmelita passed away in 2000. She skillfully painted motifs of nature's elements in balanced, rhythmic designs onto the polished surface using a yucca brush dipped in clay. She was known for her beautiful painting of large size pots in black-on-black, cream-on-red, and sunrise brown being the family’s specialty. This pot caught my eye at the Heard Museum Shop in Phoenix because it was so perfectly shaped and the design was so simple and elegant, yet precise. Once we learned it was a famous Carmelita Dunlap pot we definitely had to add it to the collection because her work is so hard to find.
Buff on red water jar	Artist: Than Tsideh (Erik Sunbird Fender) Size: 8.5" high x 7.25" diameter Erik Fender, Than Tsideh, is the son of Martha Appleleaf so he comes from a long lineage of famous potters. Erik was born in 1970 and has been actively potting since 1985. He creates beautiful polychrome, black-on-black, black-on-red, green-on-red, and he specializes in green-on-black jars, bowls and plates. Like his mother and grandmother he creates beautiful shapes and paints very precisely. We were excited to be invited to an Open House in Denver where Erik was the guest artist. I spotted this water jar and immediately asked George to make it my Christmas present. The red polish and firing of this pot are so well done that the pot literally glows with light. Erik signed the piece Than Tsideh.
Polychrome water jar	Artist: Than Tsideh (Erik Sunbird Fender) Size: 9.5" high x 7.5" diameter Recently Erik has been trying to revive traditional San Ildefonso polychrome pottery techniques. Traditional San Ildefonso Pueblo stone burnished polychrome was a technique that was a lost or dying art form. After the introduction of matte painted black and red ware, very little polychrome work continued. Even before matte painted pottery came into the picture, the use of a stone polished cream slip was abandoned in favor of the much easier to use rag polished Cochiti slip. Many people associate San Ildefonso pottery with the very popular matte painted black or red ware. They do not realize that before matte painted ware, traditional San Ildefonso pottery was composed of black on cream ware, black on red ware, and eventually evolved into the polychrome ware. Erik has been experimenting with different materials and techniques to reproduce traditional stone polished polychrome ware. He is trying to perfect the almost lost techniques of San Ildefonso stone polished polychrome ware. This polychrome pot is outstanding because it has not only cream, black and red slips, it also has micaceous slips around the top and bottom. The background cream slip has an especially appealing almost pearl-like appearance to it. It is unusual to see a scalloped rim on Erik's pots, and it really made this one stand out so we could not resist adding it to our collection. Erik's pots are always so perfectly balanced in shape and design with precise painting.
Red sgraffito jar	Artist: Tahn Moo Whe (Barbara Gonzales) Size: 4.5" high x 5" diameter Barbara Gonzales was born in 1947 and is the oldest great-granddaughter of Maria Martinez. Maria gave Barbara the Indian name Tahn Moo Whe which translates to Sunbeam. Barbara worked alongside Maria and her grandmother Santana and learned the traditional ways to create black-on-black pottery. But eventually Barbara began her own pottery style creating etched black, red or duotone pots with inlaid turquoise. She has become very famous in her own right and continues to win numerous awards. Barbara traditionally adds spiders to her pottery with an inlaid turquoise stone as the body. The spider symbolizes good luck. This pot was signed Tahn Moo Whe, 1983. We loved the beautiful deep red polish on the pot and the traditional spider motif below the shoulder of the pot.
Incised redware plate with heishi	Artist: John Gonzales Size: 3.75" diameter
Black on black bowl	Artist: Santana and Adam Martinez Size: 3.5" high x 5.25" diameter Santana and Adam Martinez both came from famous San Ildefonso pottery families. Adam was the oldest son of Maria and Julian Martinez and learned to make pottery from his parents. Santana Roybal Martinez learned from her maternal grandmother, Pino Martinez, her mother Alfonsita and her aunt, Tonita Roybal. Adam and Santana lived with Maria and Julian for several years after they were married. During that time Julian trained Santana in the fine art of pottery painting. After Julian passed away in 1943 Santana began painting for Maria until Maria began collaborating with her son Popovi Da. Then Santana and Adam began making pottery of their own, around 1956. They earned widespread respect for their abilities in making and painting pottery and they passed on their techniques to their seven children who have also distinguished themselves in pottery making. We loved the beautiful shape, high polish and perfect design of this black-on-black bowl. The polish and firing of this pot give it the beautiful gun-metal glow that only seems to be found in pottery from the direct descendants of Maria. It certainly has the feel of the matriarch Maria and we were happy to add another Martinez family pot to our collection when we saw this one for sale.
Polished black vase	Artist: Maria Poveka (Martinez) Size: 6.75" high x 6.25" diameter Maria Montoya Martinez was born around 1880 on the San Ildefonso pueblo and probably is the most famous of all the American Indian potters, with a career spanning 85 years. She and her husband, Julian, created the first black-on-black ware, forever changing the economy of San Ildefonso pueblo. Maria grew up creating the typical polychrome pottery of her pueblo until she and Julian were requested by some archaeologists from the Smithsonian Institution to recreate pottery like the black shards unearthed during an excavation in 1908 on the pueblo. They worked on the technique until they had perfected the use of slips to create the matte pattern and how to create the black color from red clay by firing the vessels in a reducing atmosphere using manure and ash. Maria never did her own painting, but she worked in collaboration with her husband Julian, son Popovi Da, son Adam and daughter-in-law Santana who did beautiful designs on her pottery. During the 1960-70s she created some pottery that was without designs and signed them with her Indian name Maria Poveka. There are numerous books on Maria and her work so we won’t go into more details. We have a letter of provenance stating that this pot was given to the brother of Maria’s daughter-in-law (married to John Martinez) by Maria in the 1970s. The daughter sold the pot directly to the trading post where we bought it in December of 2004. We were so proud to have our very own legendary Maria pot added to the collection.
Black on black lidded jar	Artist: Pauline Martinez Size: 4.25" high x 3.25" diameter Pauline Martinez was born in 1950 on the Santa Clara pueblo. She married George Martinez, son of Santana and Adam Martinez, in 1970 and has been actively potting since that time. She learned pottery from her mother, Crecencia Tafoya of Santa Clara and her mother-in-law Santana Roybal Martinez and Clara Montoya of San Iledefonso. She makes gorgeous black-on-black pottery. Her clean painting, lovely designs, and high polish make her work exceptional. She typically does small to miniature size vessels. This small pot was especially appealing because of the form and the small perfectly fitting lid. The polish is also exceptionally well done.
Redware bowl with heishi	Artist: Russell Sanchez Size: 3.5" high x 3.25" diameter
Redware bowl with heishi	Artist: Russell Sanchez Size: 3.25" high x 4" diameter
Carved black/sienna vase	Artist: Dora Tse Pe Size: 5" high x 3.5" diameter Dora Tse Pe was born in 1939 and has been actively potting since 1965. Dora was raised on the Zia pueblo, but when she married Tse Pe in 1961 she moved to the San Iledefonso pueblo. Tse Pe was already a fine potter who had learned from his mother, Rose Gonzales. Dora, Popovi Da and Tony Da were the early innovators of duotones, sgraffito and inlaying stones into their creations. Dora trained and has actively encouraged Russell Sanchez as a potter. Her children are active potters as well. Dora refires some of her pots to create sienna rims on the black clay. She has also advanced the use of glittering micaceous slips. Both of those techniques are evident on this pot. The entire bottom half of the pot has micaceous slip. The carving of the avanyu is very precise and the choice of the turquoise stone for the eye seems to give the serpent personality.
Incised green vase	Artist: Jeniifer Sisneros Tse Pe Size: 2" high x 2.25" diameter
Polished red micaceous sgraffito vase	Artist: Tse Pe (Gonzales) Size: 5.5" high x 4" diameter Tse Pe Gonzales was born in 1940 to the well-known potter Rose Gonzales. His teachers were his mother and both his grandmothers. Tse Pe was already a known potter when he married Dora and they began collaborating on innovative pottery along with Popovi Da and Tony Da. He worked in traditional redware and blackware and used both carving techniques and sgraffito, but he is probably best known for his polished mica slips, green clay and inlayed turquoise with asymmetrical designs. I was so excited to see two of Tse Pe's pots at a trading post on the San Ildefonso pueblo because it is rare to find any of his work for sale and these pots had a lot of his innovative style on them. To top it off the prices were less than the current value because the trading post had been closed for four years. This pot has a beautiful polished micaceous finish that glitters in the light.
Sgraffito red micaceous vase with green bear	Artist: Tse Pe (Gonzales) Size: 6.75" high x 4.5" diameter See above for artist details We loved this fun vase. The vase is not perfectly symmetrical, but Tse Pe used it to his advantage in orienting the carved green bear. This pot uses all of his innovative techniques from micaceous slip, sgraffito, green clay, and the inlay of heishi for the bears eye and a large turquoise nugget for decoration and balance.
Cream on redware jar	Artist: Doug and Charlotte Vigil Size: 2.25" high x 3.75" diameter