Hopi Elaborately Designed Polychrome Seed Jar [SOLD]

Koopee was an exceptional artist and always pushed the envelope to create designs that were traditional, yet unique and modern.  In this seed jar, he painted a series of overlapping circles in which there are faces or masks.  Overlaid on these circles are one-inch-wide strips which add another layer to the design, resulting in a three-dimensional appearance.  The whole design is subdivided into smaller triangles, squares, rectangles and circles.  It is an extraordinarily complicated design.

Jacob Myron Koopee passed away in the summer of 2011 at the early age of 41 years. He was the grandson of Marie Koopee, great-grandson of Nellie Nampeyo and great-great-grandson of Nampeyo of Hano. He was at the height of his career and had received many awards for his pottery. He was accepted as one of the finest of contemporary Hopi potters. His is a great loss to collectors.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from the collection of an Albuquerque family

Recommended Reading: Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory and Angie Schaaf