The Mesa Verde Full Arch
1999
Artist
- Al Qoyawayma, Hopi, American, 1938 -
- Born: Los Angeles, CA
- Work Locations: United States
- Active Dates: 1970- present
Culture
Hopi
Country
United States
Object
jar
Medium
Clay
Accession Number
2003.1209
Credit Line
Gift of Virginia Vogel Mattern
Al Qöyawayma, The Mesa Verde Full Arch, 1999. Clay; 10 9/16 x 17 1/4 in. © Al Qoyawayma. Denver Art Museum: Gift of Virginia Vogel Mattern, 2003.1209
Dimensions
height: 10 9/16 in, 26.8288 cm; diameter: 17 1/4 in, 43.8150 cm
Inscription
on base: "(c) 1992 / Qoyawayma / Q41J" and a fish symbol
Department
Native Arts
Collection
Indigenous Arts of North America
This object is currently on view
“I know that some of this clay may even contain the dust of my ancestors . . . so . . . how respectful I must be.”
Trained as an engineer, Al Qöyawayma is well-schooled in the ceramic traditions of his Hopi ancestors yet possesses his own style. The unpainted simplicity of the surface of this vessel is interrupted by the sculptured scene of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde and enhanced by the exquisite vertical striations created by polishing the wet clay with a stone.
Known Provenance
Purchased 1999 from the artist by Virginia Vogel Mattern; gifted 2003 to the Denver Art Museum