Hopi Pueblo Third Mesa Wicker Plaque with Green Center [SOLD]

At the center of this Third Mesa wicker plaque is a rounded form in forest green.  Outlining the green is a thin black and white circle, followed by bands of yellow, blue, orange, and another black and white band at the rim.   Each of these bands of color is separated by thin lines of black and white.  The rim is wrapped in dyed yucca.

Looking at the enlarged photograph at the bottom, the center of the plaque has a wrapped bundle with a stepped diagonal. An explanation of this is quoted from the book Circles of Life:

"A type of start, commonly referred to as the Grand Canyon start, is found in wicker plaques made prior to 1900, but is rarely seen in baskets woven after 1910. The two central crossed bundles of warp rods are over-wrapped with wefts of rabbit brush to hold them together. Initially, all the warp rod bundles are over-wrapped for a few turns. Then, the weaver omits one group of warp rods as she continues to over-wrap, decreasing the over-wrapping each time until there is only one warp rod group left. When completed, this creates a distinctive diagonal, or stepped, pattern start. The weaver uses this same technique with the central wrapped warp rods on the reverse side, so the characteristic diagonal line appears on the plaque's front and back. This start is said to symbolize the Grand Canyon trail by which the Hopi emerged from the past Third World to today's Fourth World." [Finger & Finger, 2006:45]

Condition: very good condition with no discernable fading of colors; some warp wraps are broken on the back of the plaque.

Provenance: this Hopi Pueblo Third Mesa Wicker Plaque with Green Center is from the extensive collection of a client from California

Recommended Reading: Hopi Basket Weaving: Artistry in Natural Fibers by Helga Teiwes

Reference: Circles of Life: Katsina Imagery on Hopi Wicker Basketry by Finger & Finger