Jar

Jar

1900-1915
Artist
Nampeyo, Hopi, American, c. 1860-1942
Born: Hano, AZ
Work Locations: Hano, AZ
Active Dates: 1880- 1940
Culture
Hopi
Country
United States
Object
jar
Medium
Clay and paint
Accession Number
1929.72
Credit Line
Gift of C.W. Douglas

Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa), Jar, 1900-1915. Painted ceramic; 9 7/8 x 11 ¾ in. Denver Art Museum: Gift of C.W. Douglas, 1929.72

Dimensions
height: 9 7/8 in, 25.0825 cm; diameter: 11 3/4 in, 29.845 cm
Department
Native Arts
Collection
Indigenous Arts of North America
This object is currently on view

The ancestors of the modern Hopi left evidence of rich pottery traditions. Villages such as Sikyatki, Awatovi, and Kawaikuh, inhabited from roughly 1400–1625, were close to Nampeyo’s home village of Hano and were actively being excavated at the end of the 1800s. Anthropologists and traders provided Nampeyo with firsthand opportunities to study the prehistoric ware found at these digs.
Nampeyo revived not only prehistoric patterns and forms in her work but also the traditional Hopi pottery-making process. By 1900, the artist had rediscovered Sikyatki clay sources. Rather than coating her pots with a colored slip, the artist painted her designs directly on the polished clay surface.
With her reputation established, Nampeyo soon began producing large, exceptionally painted pottery for a market of collectors. Though built upon prehistoric designs, vessels such as this represent a creative leap. The artist was no longer fashioning replicas but rather experimented with new designs as she fused elements of prehistoric patterns into innovative new compositions.

 

Known Provenance
Made by the artist, 1900-1915; Acquired by Charles Winfred Douglas [1867-1944], Evergreen, CO, by 1929; Gifted to the Denver Art Museum, 7 May 1929.
Exhibition History
  • "Painted Perfection: The Pottery of Dextra Quotskuyva," Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 5/12/2001-10/21/2001