Historic Hopi Polychrome Jar with Handles by Nampeyo of Hano [SOLD]

This historic polychrome pottery jar was created by influential Hopi-Tewa matriarch Nampeyo of Hano. It's a beautiful vessel, with a unique shape and an understated design. We see a sphere with the upper section removed and a few decorative elements added. Those elements are the two small handles that appear on opposite sides and a raised ridge of clay, which circles the piece just below the rim and creates a strong shoulder.

A thick band of brown pigment circles the jar below the ridge and above the handles. A thin line appears just below the larger line, circling the vessel and crossing over the handles' upper edges. A repeating pattern of traditional Hopi designs hangs down from the thin line, with slight variations in size and coloration reminding the viewer that the piece was made by hand with natural materials. The painted designs are strong and precise; they manage to make an impression while occupying very little of the jar's surface.

With the exception of the red tone that was added to the rim and handles, there are no other painted areas or additional designs. This is ideal because the jar's slip is gorgeous. It varies greatly in tone, shifting from cream into orange into brown and beyond, forming many striking combinations of colors. It begins near the base with clean cream tones and darkens as it travels up the jar, ultimately taking on smokey red and brown tones around the rim. The coloration of this vessel is deep and alluring.

The piece is unsigned, which is typical of works from this era. A label reading From the Hopi Villages is affixed to the side near the bottom.

Nampeyo of Hano (1857-1942) was a widely influential potter who lived and worked on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. Nampeyo is regarded today as one of the finest Hopi potters and one of the most important figures in Native American pottery. Her work is displayed in museums and collections around the world. Nampeyo was taught how to make pottery by her grandmother and began earning an income as a potter while she was still just a teenager. Less interested in innovation than perfection, Nampeyo took an early interest in the design and form of ancient Hopi pottery, which she believed to be superior to the pottery being created by her contemporaries. She visited the ruins of ancient villages and copied designs from pieces of prehistoric and protohistoric pottery onto paper, then reproduced the designs on her own vessels.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Historic Hopi Polychrome Jar with Handles by Nampeyo of Hano is from a private Colorado collection

Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay: Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art by Edwin L. Wade and Allan Cooke

TAGS: Hopi Pueblo, Fannie Polacca Nampeyo, Nellie Nampeyo Douma, Annie Healing Nampeyo, Nampeyo of Hano, Hopi-Tewa Potter and Matriarch