Montoya, Florentino

Florentino Montoya (1858-1918) was a potter and a painter from San Ildefonso Pueblo. He usually collaborated with his wife, Martina Vigil (1856-1916), in making pottery. They were excellent potters and very well known for the time.

Recalling that she enjoyed watching them making pottery and learning how from them when she was young, Maria Martinez said, “Florentino, he was old, and he painted, oh, very good.” They also taught their niece, Tonita Pena, to paint.

In 1999, one of their pots sold at auction for $96,000 dollars, at the time setting a world record price for a Native American pot.