Hopi Third Mesa Wicker Plaque with Rainbow Colors [SOLD]

This Third Mesa wicker plaque is extraordinary in workmanship.  It is shaped like a shallow bowl and filled with colors of the rainbow. The center circle is beet red, surrounded by thin rows of black, between which is a row of alternating green and orange.  A white square frames the central circle, beyond which are rows of black, orange, yellow, blue, beet red, green, and white.  The outer rim is wrapped in thin strips of yucca which were dyed black.

The unknown Third Mesa artisan who crafted this basket did an exceptional job with an undoubtedly challenging design.  The center of this basket is simple in design. As the designs move toward the outer rim, they become more complex.  Each design band is unique not just in color, but also in form.  They expand and contract, or disappear and reappear, but none of this variation is random—the bands flow perfectly within and around one another.

Condition: good condition with some fading of colors

Provenance:  this Hopi Third Mesa Wicker Plaque with Rainbow Colors is from the large collection of a gentleman from California

Reference: Circles of Life: Katsina Imagery on Hopi Basketry, Judith W. and Andrew D. Fingers

TAGS: Southwest Indian Basketry, Hopi Pueblo, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu