Hopi Tewa Monochromatic Small Feather Woman Pottery Storage Jar by Helen Naha [SOLD]

This small pottery storage jar by Hopi Pueblo artist Helen Naha, Feather Woman, was executed entirely in dark brown pigment on a creamy white slip.  The contrast in color is bold and the design fits the curvature of the jar perfectly. The parallel fine lines, which are difficult to apply precisely, were indeed applied precisely.  All the edges of the brown design are perfectly clean. The jar is truly a jewel of precision.

This rich brown-on-white small storage jar by Helen Naha, Feather Woman, is signed on the bottom with her hallmark feather glyph.

Helen Naha (1922-1993) Feather Woman was a member of the Spider Clan at Hopi Pueblo Arizona. She was the daughter-in-law of Paqua Naha (the first Frog Woman). She was married to Paqua’s son, Archie. At first, she followed the style of her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law, Joy Navasie. She eventually developed her own distinctive style, using black and red paint on a white slip to create bold designs. Often, she would take the effort and time to polish the inside of a bowl as well as the outside.   Both of her daughters, Sylvia and Rainy, as well as her granddaughter, Tyra Naha, have followed in her footsteps.

Condition: this Hopi Tewa Monochromatic Small Feather Woman Pottery Storage Jar by Helen Naha is in very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a senior citizen of Santa Fe

Recommended Reading: 

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

- Modern Hopi Pottery by Kathryn A. Sikorski, Utah State University

Relative Links: Helen Naha - Feather Woman, Southwest Indian Pottery, Hopi Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery, Joy Navasie (Frog Woman), Burel Naha, Rainy Naha, Sylvia Naha