Large Polychrome Pottery Bowl from Hopi Pueblo

This polychrome pottery bowl was created by an unidentified Hopi Pueblo potter. Those who are familiar with Hopi Pueblo pottery will recognize that this piece is unique in both shape and size. The typical Hopi bowl curves in at the rim. This piece curves outward to reach a diameter of over fourteen inches, which makes it quite a bit larger than what we usually see.

Design bands appear on the interior and exterior, covering the area from just below the rim to around the midpoint in traditional Hopi designs. These designs move through a sequence which repeats twice around each band. The orange coloration, which is brighter than that which is typical, provides an appropriately strong backdrop for these designs. This is a beautiful and unusual piece of Hopi pottery.

This beautiful pottery bowl is signed N. Mooya in cursive—not on the base as we'd expect but near the base on the exterior. We can find no record of a Hopi potter named N. Mooya, but we do know of a Mooya family that is known for katsina carving. None of those carvers has a first name that begins with N; perhaps this potter is another member of that family.

Condition: wear and abrasion from use, one crack extending about four inches down from the rim

Provenance: this Large Polychrome Pottery Bowl from Hopi Pueblo is from a private New Mexico collection

Recommended Reading: Modern Hopi Pottery by Kathryn A. Sikorski, Utah State University

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