Hopi-Tewa Multicolored Seed Jar by Dextra Nampeyo [SOLD]

At first glance, one would say that this jar had no semblance to the ancestral Sikyatki pottery of prehistory, however, if each design element is examined, it becomes clear that the structure of the design is Sikyatki-inspired, but the appearance of the design shows no relationship.

Tosig analyze the elements individually, start with the square around the opening.  In many Sikyatki-inspired jars by Nampeyo family artists, the square box is traditional.  Often, it is filled with red slip with no design.  Dextra chose to include four pyramidal stepped gray elements to include within the box.  

In traditional Sikyatki-revival pottery, there are four tail feather designs, each one suspended from one side of the square.  Dextra followed this style but changed each of the four pendants to a design of her choice, yet, each of them represents the Sikyatki layout of the past.  

The painted design extends down just past the mid-point of the jar.  The lower part of the jar is a highly-polished band of the natural clay, and below that is a section of polished red that extends to the base.  The base was left in the unpolished natural tan color of the clay, on which she signed her name. The red slip sparkles with miniature mica flakes.

This jar was purchased by the past owner in 2013.  Whether it was new at that time is not known.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: this Hopi-Tewa Multicolored Seed Jar by Dextra Nampeyo is from the estate of a previous client of ours who had impeccable taste and purchased accordingly.

Recommended Reading: Painted Perfection: The Pottery of Dextra Quotskuyva by Martha Struever

Relative Links: Nampeyo of Hano, Annie Healing Nampeyo, Rachel Namingha, Hopi Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery, Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo, Hopi-Tewa Potter