Hopi Very Large Pictorial Canteen by Nampeyo [R]

Indian trader Thomas Keam wrote of Nampeyo in his journals, and acknowledged as early as the 1880s, that she was the finest potter at Hopi, even though she was Tewa and not Hopi.  He acknowledged also that she was experimenting with the old pottery designs and creating beautiful pottery.  Keam encouraged her because he was in need of fine pottery to create collections for museums and individuals.  Nampeyo obliged him, not necessarily for the money, but because she was entranced with the shards being excavated at ancestral villages around the Hopi mesas and was eager to use them to create designs of her own.  They served as her influence and not something to be meticulously copied.

Not all of Nampeyo’s pottery ended up in museum collections as is evidenced by this wonderful large canteen that shows extensive use as a water vessel.  Canteens of this size were made for use and often used until they disintegrated from water damage.  This one has damage that appears to be from twisting and pushing the canteen into the sand to secure it in an upright position.  The wall thickness prevented serious water damage so most of the beautiful design work by Nampeyo is still in wonderful condition.

Nampeyo placed the face of a Palhikmana Katsina on the center of the canteen with its elaborate tableta filling the upper half of the surface.  The lower 1/4^th of the front of the canteen is worn away from use.  Since the canteen appears to have been snuggly secured in sand when in use, there is no abrasion from hanging it against a wall nor is there damage to the handles.

Condition: The canteen is in remarkable condition considering its long-time use.

Provenance: from a family collection in Texas

Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay: Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art by Edwin L. Wade and Allan Cooke.