Large Hopi Chakoptewa Polychrome Pottery Jar

This large Hopi jar by Michael Hawley (1948-2012), also known by his Hopi name Chakoptewa, is a stunning fusion of contemporary ceramic artistry and ancient traditions. This wide jar features thin walls and a graceful collared neck with a thin outward rim. The surface is adorned with intricate motifs, including repeated stepped and key designs, as well as eagle tail motifs all painted just above the shoulder.

Chakoptewa employed a 4-color polychrome palette of cream, orange, sienna, and dark brown. Skillful stippling enriches specific areas, while loose linework in the double vertical bands repeated near the shoulder lend a distinctive, painterly quality. The jar reflects his deep commitment to traditional Hopi pottery methods, using hand-ground clay sourced from Antelope Mesa on the Hopi Reservation. He hand-coiled, shaped, polished, painted, and coal-fired each piece in a custom-built pit.

Hawley's pigments were derived from minerals and plants native to the Hopi Mesas, and the designs he painted were original creations influenced by the Sikyatki tradition. The jar is signed "Chakoptewa" with the serial "BG-J-12" inside his signature pipe motif, marking it as one of his exceptional works.

Michael Hawley's pieces are original and unique works of contemporary ceramic art inspired by ancient tradition. They are not copies or replicas. It has been stated that Michael Hawley had been given permission by the Hopi to make pottery using materials and inspiration from Hopi.

From the late 1970s through the 1980s, a series of completely sold-out one-man shows of Michael Hawley's ceramics took place at the prominent Gallery 10 in Scottsdale and the Elaine Horwitch Galleries in Scottsdale and Santa Fe.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: This Large Hopi Chakoptewa Polychrome Pottery Jar is from a collector in Washington state.

Recommended Reading: Designs on Prehistoric Hopi Pottery by Jesse Walter Fewkes

TAGS: Hopi Reservation, Pottery Vessels, Michael Hawley, Chakoptewa