Mata Ortiz Pottery Jar by Quico Marquez
This superb pottery jar was made by Quico Marquez, a Mata Ortiz potter in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Well-known for his blackware pottery, Marquez also created this buff clay jar decorated with traditional Casas Grandes designs, a tribute to ancient potters. Hand painted in fine detail using a brush made of human hair, the geometric motifs are precisely rendered in red and black, one side the twin of the other. The walls of the jar are thin, the interior smoothed and the exterior stone-polished to a nice gloss, all signs of a quality piece.
The pot stands 7 1/2 inches tall, is 3 1/4 inches wide across the mouth and has a circumference of 16 inches at the widest point of the body. It stands on an incredibly small, flat round bottom only 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Still, the artist managed to sign it, incised into the clay "Quico Marquez" (we darkened and greatly enlarged it in our photo). It weighs one pound, two ounces and is in excellent condition.
This is a handsome piece of Mata Ortiz pottery, symmetrical and balanced and desirable.
>>>To pronounce the potter's name: Kee-ko Mar-kez
PYH 5358
Gabino Moncada, an artisan potter in Chulucanas, Peru, hand built this beautiful art pottery bowl. Departing from the pre-Columbian motifs that influence much of his other pottery pieces, Moncada gave the tan clay body a coat of matte dark brown on the bottom and a wash of pale beige on the inside. He then hand painted a sun shining high in the sky over two large swans floating on sparkling (dotted) water. The artwork is off-white in color and semi-gloss against the flat background. Moncada did not use a clear finish over the paint, so it has a soft, hazy quality that is charming (but not washable).
The bowl measures 9 1/4 inches across and stands 4 inches high, tapering to a round base 3 inches in diameter. The base is hand signed "Gabino Moncada;" though it's undated, Moncada was working in the 1990's so we've dated it to that decade. It weighs 1 3/4 pounds and is in very good condition, with these caveats: there is a flake off the glaze on the rim, a dot of beige paint on the lower edge of the rim and a dark spot of paint on the rim. There are also a few flakes off the bottom of the bowl. These are all shown in our photos. None of this is objectionable and there are no cracks or chips. This pretty bowl is best displayed in a spot where the painting can be admired.
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PYH 4779