Mata Ortiz Pottery Butterfly Vase by Pottery Artists Alex Ortega & Vivi Silveira

Description

Spectacular hand turned polychrome Mata Ortiz pottery butterfly, turtle, dragonfly, regal bird and rabbit vase by Alex Ortega & Vivi … more Spectacular hand turned polychrome Mata Ortiz pottery butterfly, turtle, dragonfly, regal bird and rabbit vase by Alex Ortega & Vivi Silveira, circa 1990s.

The black and white vase is 3.75" D x 5" H and is in excellent condition with no chips or cracks.

Mata Ortiz or Casas Grandes pottery comes from the small village of Mata Ortiz located near Nuevos Casas Grandes in northern Chihuahua, Mexico. The artists of Mata Ortiz are identified by their neighborhood or barrio in the village and the style of their work is often influenced by the designs of their family or friends who live there. Family ties and traditions are considered to be important. There are now several hundred potter artists working in the Mata Ortiz tradition.

5" H by 4" Diameter with 1 1/2" mouth opening
Condition: Excellent
Signature: Alex Ortega y Vivi Silveira

Alex Ortega & Vivi Silveira featuring beautiful etched butterflies, turtle, rabbits, birds and dragonflies. Viviana "Vivi" Silveira is a potter in Mata Ortiz. She usually works with her husband, Alex Ortega. Ortega is a potter who lives and works in Mata Ortiz. He usually works with his wife, Viviana "Vivi" Silveira. Together they usually make white body jars and fire them to be glossy black on the surface. Then they decorate the jars with sgraffito designs of insects, reptiles, animals and birds on a mesh or netting backdrop.


Background information:
Mata Ortiz is a small settlement inside the bounds of the Casas Grandes municipality very near the site of Paquimé. The fortunes of the town have gone up and down over the years with a real economic slump happening after the local railroad repair yard was relocated to Nuevo Casas Grandes in the early 1960's. The town was in steady decline until Juan Quezada, a poor farmer who gathered firewood in the area of the archaeological site, was inspired by fragments of ancient Paquimé pottery and even older fragments of Mimbres forms with bold black-on-white designs littering the ground to learn more.

Quezada was successful in his quest to learn to recreate the ancient process using slightly more modern techniques (although no one in the present tradition uses a potter's wheel). He learned to use sand and other coarse materials for temper. He discovered that dried cow dung made an excellent and inexpensive firing fuel. Instead of using gourds for smoothing he substituted broken hacksaw blades. Instead of using yucca fiber brushes for painting he learned to make brushes with human hair. He persevered in his efforts and by 1971 had produced a kind of polychrome pottery. Since then, most pottery-making in the area has used innovations in the design and decoration of the pots but the materials and the basic crafting of the process have remained the same.

By the mid-1970's, Quezada had attracted a significant number of traders and his work was becoming a commercial success. That is when he began teaching his techniques to his immediate family. They in turn taught other family members, friends and the younger generations. Both women and men were included from the beginning.

Originally called Casas Grandes pottery in the early years of its production, the potters of this tiny village have made such an impact on the pottery communities, including many awards and special recognition from the Presidents of Mexico, that Mata Ortiz pottery is now becoming known around the world.

Today, pottery production has changed the village in many ways as there is now electricity, plumbing, vehicles and more for the residents. Virtually everyone in the small town (2010 population: 1,182) makes their living by working in some part of the pottery-making process, from potters to clay-gatherers to firewood collectors to traders.

Mata Ortiz pottery incorporates elements of contemporary and prehistoric design and decoration, and each potter or pottery family produces their own distinctive, individualized ware. Young potters from surrounding areas have been attracted to the Mata Ortiz revival and new potting families have developed while the art movement continues to expand. Without the restraints of traditional religious practices or gender constraints, a vibrant flow of new ideas has enabled the pottery of Mata Ortiz to avoid the derivative repetition common to virtually all folk art movements. This blend of economic need, gender equality, cultural expression and artistic freedom has produced a unique artistic movement in today's community.

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These magnificent Fine pottery artists' pieces are found in high-end dealers of Native American and Indian galleries and museums. less