Polychrome Vessel by Nampeyo of Hano3D Model
Credit line: Polychrome vessel by Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa, 1859-1942), circa 1925-1934, U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, INTR 01368
Context: Hopi pottery is known for its detailed painting, and this exquisite low-shouldered vessel is by Nampeyo of Hano, the first American Indian potter nationally recognized by name. Living on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa) often decorated her pieces with this abstract bird wing design known as the migration pattern, symbolizing the Hopi people’s own journey. This polychrome jar is signed “NAMPEYO” on the bottom—most likely by Nampeyo’s daughter Fannie, since Nampeyo could not read or write and, by 1925, was also losing her eyesight.
Descriptive text: A 3D model of a bowl hand built with a clay coiling method, slipped, painted, and burnished. Colors are deep orange-reds with lines in a dark brown-black. The piece is 7.5 inches high and 12 inches in diameter. A signature and several labels and markings are on the base.
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