Pueblo pottery making: a study at the village of San Ildefonso

by Carl E. Guthe

In considering generally the ornamentation of San Ildefonso vessels, a distinct group-similarity can be observed. The polychrome vessels are painted in black and orange-red upon a white base. The red-ware vessels are decorated only in black. The designs usually consist of several almost identical figures, each composed of a small number of rather simple elements, in which curved lines are common. And yet, in spite of this almost indefinable similarity among the vessels, the differences between the designs made by different potters of the village are clear-cut and distinct.

Maria Martinez specializes in constricted-mouthed and similarly shaped bowls of polychrome ware. Her lines are relatively narrow, and the black of the design is very uniform in color. She uses panelled designs almost exclusively. The elements within the panels are simple, and few in number. Her work is easily recognized because of its simplicity and pleasing composition (see [pl. 6]). Maximiliana Martinez generally confines herself to red ware in the form of small ollas and small bowls with a slightly constricted lip. Her lines are somewhat wider and more uneven than those of Maria, and the black is of varying shades. As a result of her custom of developing the design as the work progresses, the figures are rather complex and intricate, or, as the Indians themselves say, “mixed up”. The outstanding characteristic of her work is the use of one or more elements entirely detached from the figure proper. Antonita Roybal devotes most of her time to making large ollas of red ware. Her lines are relatively broad, often indeed of double width. Her blacks are also uneven. The designs upon her vessels are usually composed of two or four very large, complex figures, in which spiral curves are conspicuous. Dotting, crosshatching, and filling of many small areas characterize her work. The products of a man painter, Julian Martinez, are easily recognized by the abundant use of very narrow lines. The figures, which are usually composed of many intricate elements, impress one with the amount of detailed and careful work lavished upon them. Julian has obviously been strongly influenced by the technique of modern Hopi potters, such as the famous Nampeo, whose work he of course often sees in the curio-stores and in the State Museum at Santa Fe.

In the following pages typical designs of Maria, Maximiliana, and Antonita are discussed in detail, with the aid of figures upon which the direction and order of the strokes have been indicated. These drawings are given in order to amplify and clarify the general statements made above.

Drawing No. 1 ([fig. 9]); original by Maria Martinez. This design was on a constricted-mouthed polychrome bowl, and consisted of four identical panels, each four and one-half inches long by two and one-half inches wide. The work was divided into four distinct sections, or stages, each of which was completed in all four panels, one after the other, before the next stage was begun.

First stage ([fig. 9], a); construction of the framing lines. Lines 1-4 are drawn completely around the bowl; then lines 5-8. The corresponding two pairs of lines are then drawn upon the other half of the bowl, thus dividing the space into four sections.

Second stage ([fig. 9], b); placing of the outlines within each panel. The first three lines drawn (9-11) divide the panel into three triangles. Then the details are

Fig. 9. The growth of a polychrome design as painted by Maria Martinez (the shading indicates red).

outlined in each triangle in turn. When the outlining of one panel has been completed, each of the other panels is treated in turn in the same manner. The work of Maria is noteworthy in that the order and direction of the lines and the filling of spaces is hardly ever changed from one panel to the next.

Third stage ([fig. 9], c); filling certain areas with solid black paint. The largest area (I) is always filled first. No order is followed in filling areas II, III, and IV, and in making the dot (V). In one panel, IV is filled before II, in another V precedes the other three. After this the dots (VI) are placed below line 21. In the different panels the number of these dots varies from six to eight. The last area filled in this stage is the triangle VII. When the first panel has been completed the other three are treated in like manner before the fourth stage is begun.