Hopi Dusty Rose Color Seed Jar [SOLD]

Iris Nampeyo is known for her sculptural design pottery that she has mastered to the finest detail.  This style of sculpture was first made by Elizabeth White (Polingaysi Qöyawayma) and further refined by her nephew Al Colton (Qöyawayma).  Colton has evolved from the simple corn design to carving cliff dwellings on his pots.  Iris has mostly stayed with designing simple corn stalks or ears of corn.  It is the simplicity of her work that makes it so elegant.  She does not normally apply a slip to the surface but simply polishes the natural clay from which the jar was made.  The corn plant is generally left in a matte state.

In this Hopi seed jar, Iris has possibly applied a slip in a dusty rose color to the finished clay pot or perhaps mixed a color in powdered form to the clay mixture during processing.  At any rate, the rose color is a unique departure from her normal natural-color pottery and is striking in appearance.  The jar is signed Iris Youvella Nampeyo and dated 1990.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Illinois

Recommended Reading: Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory and Angie Schaaf