Hopi Very Large Pottery Ladle [SOLD]

This Hopi Very Large Pottery Ladle was designed to permit the contents of the bowl to be dispensed through the handle and out the end of the handle.  The handle is hollow and connects to the bowl where there is an opening.  Perhaps that was a way to pour the liquid in a more controlled manner.  The bowl is shaped in a way that it would be hard to pour from the edge so pouring through the handle seems quite logical.  It is likely that the idea for this vessel shape would have been inspired by a gourd.

The design on the bowl is a very traditional Hopi Pueblo symbol of clouds, rain and lightning.  It is a symbol often seen in Hopi paintings.  There are three tadpoles on the handle. The slight wear pattern at the end of the handle indicates that the ladle has seen some use at the Pueblo.  It is possible that this is an early 1900s ladle.

Condition: very good condition

Recommended Reading:  Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni by Hayes and Blom.

Provenance: from an estate of a college professor from Illinois