Hopi Black and White Design Nampeyo Seed Jar [SOLD]

Nampeyo was recognized early in her life as an outstanding artist. She began, like all pueblo women, making pottery for daily household use.  She made what she needed for her family and occasionally, after 1880, when visitors began visiting the village, she made pieces for sale.  These early wares were probably small in scale as they had to be transported by the buyer.

It was also about that time that Thomas V. Keam, the trader on the reservation, recognized how talented Nampeyo was and chose her to make pottery for his trading post as he was supplying museums and collectors with Hopi ethnographic items and pottery.  He assisted in amassing a large collection for Mrs. Hemenway, a collection that now resides at the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.

Communication with Nampeyo was made easy after Keam met her brother, Tom Polacca, who spoke a little English.  It was probably Tom Polacca who introduced Keam to Nampeyo.  After that, she became his favorite potter.  He was the first to recognize her talent as an artist.  Prior to the Keam-Nampeyo collaboration, pottery was either utilitarian or tourist wares.  Nampeyo elevated it to an art form.

This jar is another masterpiece by Nampeyo, unlike any other she made.  The slip is a beautiful sunset orange color over which Nampeyo painted a four-part design in black, each element then outlined in kaolin white.  The square design around the rim is a pattern continued by many of Nampeyo’s descendants, many of whom then colored in the area with a deep red pigment.  Nampeyo chose to leave it without red.  The four main design elements have been designated as “eagle tail” designs, a style she painted throughout her career, changing and improving it over time.  Interestingly, there are no framing lines, a decision by Nampeyo that permits the design to be uncluttered and unenclosed.  This is an early 1900s creation by Nampeyo.

Condition: very good condition with normal amount of abrasion

Provenance: from a gentleman from Tacoma, Washington

Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay—Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art by Wade and Cooke