Hopi Corrugated White Jar with Award Ribbon [SOLD]

Hopi potter Polingaysi Qöyawayma, also known as Elizabeth White, studied ceramics under the tutelage of Charles Loloma, famous Hopi jeweler, who taught ceramic classes at the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.  Polingaysi was a teacher who began making pottery after she retired from that career in 1954.  Once she learned the techniques, she began searching for a style that suited her taste and personality.  When she found uniquely special clay that needed no painted design to bring out its beauty, she decided to use only the unadorned clay.

In this jar, Polingaysi used corrugated rows of clay for the body of the jar and a smooth neck and rim.  The underbody of the jar is polished to a smooth finish.  She left the coils of clay visible and then used a stick to impress the design into the damp clay.  The jar was entered into the annual Hopi Craftsman exhibition at the Museum of Northern Arizona in 1968, where it was selected for a First Prize award.  The ribbon is included with the jar. The jar is signed Polingaysi, carved into the clay, on the underbody.

Polingaysi was one of the most charming Hopi ladies one could ever meet. She was a potter, a painter, an author, a poet and a philosopher. She made very few pieces of pottery because she started potting late in life and she devoted time to those other pursuits.

Collectors are familiar with the un-slipped, polished natural clay pottery of Al Qöyawayma and Iris Nampeyo but may not know the inspiration for their creations.  Polingaysi was the one who created this style and Al Qöyawayma and Iris Nampeyo continue to use it.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: this Hopi Corrugated White Jar with Award Ribbon is from the estate of a long-time Santa Fe family.  The male was a Plastic Surgeon who visited the Hopi Reservation and administered to children with cleft palate.  He and his wife visited and stayed with Polingaysi when at Hopi.

Recommended Reading:  No Turning Back: A Hopi Indian Woman by Polingaysi Qöyawayma