Large Hopi Migration Pattern Pottery Jar by Fannie Nampeyo

This large polychrome jar was created by Hopi potter Fannie Nampeyo. It's a large, beautifully crafted piece with strong use of traditional Sikyatki designs. The "migration pattern," which represents the migration of the Hopi people through four worlds, was one of Fannie's favorite designs. Whether it was her personal favorite or whether she produced it because it was a favorite of collectors is unknown, but it is the one she seems to have used most often. With this piece, Fannie executed as fine a migration pattern as we've seen from the gifted potter. The piece is similar in shape and quality to those which we know to have been made in the 1950s. This period is generally regarded as Fannie's strongest.

The jar's shape is exceptional. It's large, well-balanced, and symmetrical with a dramatic flared rim. Its slip color is a gorgeous tan tone, with a few bright spots that are almost orange. Its primary design is a wide band of the migration pattern, with fine lines completed precisely and consistently. Below and above this wide band are thin, bold framing lines in dark brown. The shape, design, and color of this jar work beautifully together, resulting in an exemplary Fannie Nampeyo jar.

The piece is signed Fannie Nampeyo and marked with the artist's Corn Clan symbol.

Fannie Polacca Nampeyo (1900-1987) from the Corn Clan, was a Hopi potter who was a daughter of Nampeyo of Hano and Lesou. She had two sisters, Annie Healing Nampeyo and Nellie Nampeyo Douma. They were all Corn Clan members. Lesou was Tobacco Clan, but clan inheritance comes from the mother. Fannie had 7 children—Thomas, Elva, Tonita, Iris, Leah, Harold, and Ellsworth—all of whom were potters. Fannie won her first Blue Ribbon in 1961 from the Museum of Northern Arizona at the annual Hopi Show. Her pottery was selected for several museum exhibits in the 1990s. Since she was the youngest daughter of Nampeyo and Lesou, she was better known, personally, by many collectors, most of whom never met Annie or Nellie. She was still actively making pottery as late as the mid-1980s, and passed away in 1987.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Large Hopi Migration Pattern Pottery Jar by Fannie Nampeyo is from a private collection of a gallery client

Recommended Reading: MASTER PUEBLO POTTERS—Maria Martinez, Santana & Adam Martinez, Lucy Lewis, Fannie Nampeyo and Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo, ACA Galleries, New York, September 6-27, 1980.

TAGS: Hopi Pueblo, Nampeyo of Hano, Annie Healing Nampeyo, Nellie Nampeyo Douma, Thomas, Elva, Tonita, Iris, Leah, Contemporary Pottery, Fannie Polacca Nampeyo