Vintage MATA ORTIZ Polychrome Pottery Jar Signed 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.

This large bucket (or pail) was hand painted in mustard yellow with a brown stain over it and decorated with cheerful Pennysylvania Dutch designs in red and green. The lid has a large red heart surrounded by green teardrops and a wave design, with a red wave around the rim. The bucket is decorated on one side only, with a large red heart in the center surrounded by fruit and tulips. There's green ivy running along the top and a red wave at the bottom. Altogether, a very colorful piece.

The bucket is constructed of wooden staves, with an unpainted white pine bottom. It's fully painted in mustard on the inside also, as is the lid, which is made of wooden staves with a tin rim applied. The wire and wood handles are not original and are decorative, not usable to carry the bucket. The bucket is older than the paint, which was probably done in the 1950's.

The pail stands 12 1/2 inches tall, with the measurement across the lid the same; the bottom measures 10 inches in diameter and the weight is 4 1/2 pounds. It's overall in very good, sturdy condition, its large interior perfect for storage. The paint is alligatored and there are a few flakes off the bottom front, some on the back side of the bucket and a few small dings on the lid. All of this is shown in our photos. We only mention these for accuracy, since this very decorative piece displays beautifully.

>>>To pronounce the potter's name: Kee-ko Mar-kez

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