Hopi-Tewa Polychrome Bowl with Owl Pictorial Design [SOLD]

A first impression of this bowl would be that it is a traditional Hopi-Tewa pottery bowl with a traditional Sikyatki-revival interior design.  On closer examination, it is realized that it is not typical in design but features a stylized Owl design, something that must be rather unique among potters of First Mesa.

The face design is quite obvious to see and interpret as are the upthrust wing of the owl, the body filled with squares, each of which contains a black dot, and the curved tail feathers.  The exterior features minimal design only on the incurving rim. The bowl is not signed with the name of the artist.

In checking Jesse Walter Fewkes “Designs on Prehistoric Hopi Pottery,” there is no design similar to this so it was probably a creation by a potter from her own artistic skills and not a recreation of a Sikyatki design.

Condition: this Hopi-Tewa Polychrome Bowl with Owl Pictorial Design is in very good condition, no visible damage.

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Colorado

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