Hopi Polychrome Tall Neck Jar [SOLD]

This jar is typical of the style and design of Helen Naha, of Hopi Pueblo.  The upper section of the jar is mostly white with black design elements that appear to be rain and cloud influenced. The rim rolls out in a graceful curve and is void of rim paint.

Helen covered her pottery in white slip which was then polished.  The design was painted on using red clay and black mineral paints.  In this jar, she covered the underside, from the mid-point down to the base in a fine line design that was then layered over with longitude and latitude lines.  That section was framed with prehistoric birds connected in a continuous chain that was executed in red paint.  The beaks of the birds are black.  The design on the body of the jar may be considered a modified version of the Hopi migration pattern.

The firing process resulted in minor warming of parts of the white clay, evidence of an outdoor traditional firing process. Helen Naha (1922-1993) Feather Woman signed this jar with her hallmark.

Condition:  very good condition

Provenance: from a gentleman in Albuquerque

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