Hopi polychromatic cylinder vase with frieze and butterflies, unsigned.
This pot has wonderful energy: the butterflies are carefully drawn but whimsical, the linear design frames these images well. It is clear from the placement of the design how the potter decorated her work: as she worked around the pot she ran out of room and had to compress the frieze element as she approached her starting point. The pot probably dates from the late 1930s. Like some other pots of this age, the blushed finish has crackled some and almost has the look of old ivory. The look of ivory is often the mark of having been fired with (at least some) coal. This is a great pot.
