Hopi Pueblo Large Polychrome Pottery Seed Jar by Feather Woman [SOLD]

This beautiful polychrome pottery seed jar was made by Hopi-Tewa artist Helen Naha.  We have a special appreciation for contemporary pieces that feature traditional designs.  This jar is a fine example of a modern-looking piece that was made using native materials and ancestral designs.  The jar is slipped in a wonderful white cream color, with hints of orange in certain areas.

The vessel has a classic seed jar shape. It’s balanced and symmetrical, and its rim flares up just slightly.  Its primary design is an oval which contains an array of traditional Hopi images. This is repeated four times around the jar, with each oval’s edge ending just fractions of an inch from the next.  Bold red triangles emerge from the upper framing lines, separating the rounded corners of each oval. When viewed from the top, these four red triangles form the four corners of a perfect square. In the center of this square is the jar’s circular opening. 

Hopi-Tewa potter Helen Naha (1922-1993) Feather Woman was known for her stark black-on-white Hopi pottery early in her career, and for exquisite polychrome pots in later times. Her hallmark is a feather.  Naha and Joy Navasie (Frog Woman) were sisters-in-law. Helen Naha married Joy Navasie's brother, Archie Naha. Helen Naha was the first to use the Feather Woman name. She was Spider Clan, and the mother of Burel, Rainy, and Sylvia, all three of whom became potters of note. The two families lived on a large ranch just east of Keams Canyon on the Hopi Reservation.  Between her own work and that of her many talented descendents, Naha’s contributions to the world of Hopi pottery are significant.

Condition: excellent condition with a few very small abrasions

Provenance: this Hopi Pueblo Large Polychrome Pottery Seed Jar by Feather Woman is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham

Relative Links: Helen Naha, Southwest Indian Pottery, Hopi Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery, Joy Navasie, Burel Naha, Rainy Naha, Sylvia Naha