Adobe Gallery Blog

Joy Navasie is among the most famous of Hopi-Tewa potters. She learned the skill from her famous mother, Paqua Naha, the first Frog Woman. Paqua developed white-ware pottery in the mid-1950s and Joy continued the tradition until she ceased potting around 2000 due to health reasons. She passed away in 2012.

This very large wedding vessel is typical of her graceful style. It has long curving necks connected by a tall arched handle. Joy's use of one large uncluttered design on each side adds to the cleanliness and elegance of the vessel. The parrot design features the beak on the body of the vessel and a wing curving upward on one spout. The other spout is without decoration.

Condition: excellent condition
Provenance: from the collection of Dr. Allan Cooke, co-author of the book Canvas of Clay: Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art. The jar was purchased by Dr. Cooke from a family from Detroit who had purchased it in 1960.
Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay: Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art by Edwin L. Wade and Allan Cooke

Subject: Hopi White-slipped Wedding Vessel
Artist: Joy Navasie (1919 - 2012) Frog Woman
Category: Contemporary
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: clay, pigment
Size: 12-1/2" tall x 7" wide
Item # C3384D