Hopi Large Jar with Pictorial Imagery [SOLD]

Jean is a daughter of Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo and the granddaughter of Rachel Namingha Nampeyo. Her great grandmother was Annie Healing Nampeyo, whose mother was Nampeyo of Hano.  Jean has seven siblings, all of whom are potters or Katsina doll carvers. Her brothers and sisters are Nyla Sahmie, Rachel Sahmie, Bonnie Chapella, Randy Sahmie, Andrew Sahmie, Foster Sahmie and Finkle Sahmie. Jean is the only member of the family who signs her name Sahme rather than Sahmie.  

Jean has certainly inherited the artistic talent from her famous Nampeyo family.  In this very large jar, she chose to use pictorial elements rather than the traditional Sikyatki patterns from prehistory. She painted a pair of Hemis Katsinas accompanied by the Hemismana Katsinas with their rasping sticks and gourds.  Additionally, she painted a couple adobe buildings, horno ovens, a kiva and the large snake rock seen at the village of Walpi. 

The application of the design was precise with curves and straight lines unimaginably rendered.  One has to marvel at the talent required to apply designs using a primitive paint brush made from the leaf of a yucca plant and paints from mineral sources.  The sheep dung outdoor firing produced a warm orange glow to the finish of the jar, which adds such interest to the jar.

The jar is signed J Sahme and dated 1985.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the personal collection of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, collectors and authors of Navajo folk art.

Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay: Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art [SOLD] by Edwin L. Wade and Allan Cooke