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Attributed to Nampeyo, Hopi Polychrome Jar

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
Attributed to Nampeyo, Hopi Polychrome Jar
<B>Hopi Polychrome Pottery Jar attributed to Nampeyo</B></I><BR>Circa 1900<BR>Height 4 1/2 in. Width 9 1/2 in.<BR><BR>The jar is characterized by its steeply tapering sides and small rounded shoulder. It is painted with a pair of abstract avian forms, each with a curving scroll beak and splayed feathers between wide framing bands. An eagle tail design was a favorite motif and Nampeyo continually reworked this design concept. "Nampeyo, the famous Hopi-Tewa potter (1860-1942) is known for the grace and beauty of her work…By the turn of the twentieth century, Nampeyo had revitalized Hopi pottery by creating a contemporary style inspired by prehistoric ceramics."1<BR><BR>Provenance<BR>Bonhams & Butterfields, Sale 7477E, Lot 3340, December 8, 2003.<BR>"The attribution to Nampeyo has been made by Martha Struever in an expertise gained through years of study and interest in Nampeyo's work and through personal contact with her descendants. In a letter referring to this jar she writes: 'The four color pottery jar can be attributed to Nampeyo based on several identifiable characteristics: the long swooping arcs ending in a simple scroll can be seen in illustrations of Nampeyo's work in <I>American Indian Art</B></I> magazine, Summer 1976, p. 26, figures 2 and 3, and p. 27; the use of the pair of feathers below the upper framing line; the general layout and form with slightly layered out-turned rim are often found in Nampeyo's pottery. An unusual feature of this vessel is the lower framing lines at the shoulder that overlap and do not join as the upper framing line does. Vessels of similar form and composition are exhibited at the Milwaukee Public Museum. (Photo #XE-482-13E, Milwaukee Public Museum.) <I>Nampeyo and Her Pottery,</B></I> Kramer, Barbara, University of New Mexico Press, p. 111.'" <BR><BR>References<BR>1Kramer, Barbara, <I>Nampeyo and Her Pottery,</B></I> University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1996, Dust jack