2007-13 Jar with Two Birds Fishing

Folk Art Bird Design, Folk Art Other Animal Design

Object ID:
2007-13

Artist:
Unknown

Dimensions:
7.5" h X 6.875" w

Repeated twice on the vase is an image that appears to be a bird hunting a fish. The design is unusual for several reasons. First, it is uncluttered and without framing lines or design elements—other than the bird and fish. Second, it is narrative, which makes it unique among the Hopi-Tewa pots in the collection. If the design is a fish, such an aquatic image seems improbable at Hopi, but its whimsy appeals to this Bahana collector.

Purchase History:
Purchased on 10/2/07 on eBay from Mark Kvanvig of Tigard, OR. He writes: “I bought the pot at a retirement center rummage sale in Beaverton, a suburb of Portland, about the first of September this year. There were many anonymous contributors to the sale and I would not be able to trace its history.”