2017-07 “Desert Sunrise” Tawa plaque
This plaque is a simplified representation of Tawa, the Hopi sun god. Compared to other Begaye pots, the design is strikingly simple, though powerfully kind. It is easy to smile in response, as when I gaze at a statue of the Buddha. More poignant are Nathan’s...
2017-04 Tray with Polacca-style Polik’Mana interior, Sikyatki Revival exterior
The two rectangular vessels in the collection This “tray” is really a painted tile surrounded by a 1.6-inch high wall. If it were only a tile, it would likely be one of the largest Nampeyo tiles known. One prehistoric example of this tray form is documented. Based on...
2017-03 Large Polik’Mana tile
This tile is extraordinary by every criterion: size, shape, blushing and painting. The design is instantly recognizable as a Polik’Mana, but it is a modern interpretation of what can be a fairly static traditional design. (See other Polik’Mana renditions under...
2017-01 Vase with two Koyemsi effigy faces
Two applied Koyemsi heads grace this otherwise fairly ordinary Nampeyo vase. Decorating pots with raised decoration is unusual but not unknown at Hopi. The two painted designs on this vase are well below Nampeyo’s standards and create some uncertainty about the jar’s...
