Bowl

Copied Maria Martinez, Julian Martinez, Bowl, n.d., blackware, 6 349 12 in. (17.224.2 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of International Business Machines Corporation, 1966.27.14

Artwork Details

Title
Bowl
Date
n.d.
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
6 349 12 in. (17.224.2 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of International Business Machines Corporation
Mediums
Mediums Description
blackware
Classifications
Object Number
1966.27.14

Artwork Description

Maria Martinez and her husband, Julian, were artists on the San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. Inspired by ancient pots excavated near their pueblo between 1907 and 1909, the couple broke away from traditional polychrome wares and began creating decorative black-on-black pieces with stylized designs. The pattern on this bowl resonates with the Art Deco movement of the 1930s and ’40s. In this way, the Martinezes revitalized their ancestral pottery tradition from a modern vantage point.
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022