Hopi Polacca Open Bowl by Nampeyo, c.1890-94

Nampeyo made this Polacca open bowl around 1890-1894. This early example shows Nampeyo working with traditional Hopi forms like this open bowl with a lug at the top for hanging. The bowl is unsigned, as is all of Nampeyo’s work, but it has her signature glyphs on the outside of the bowl, and “rain drops” on the rim. The design is abstract and completely original, and seems to have a textile theme, referencing the traditional blankets the Hopi men would weave. The bowl measures 9 ¼” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition, with some wear consistent with its age. An old Fred Harvey sticker on the back reads “From Moqui Pueblo Indians, N.W. of Jettyto [sic] Spring, Arizona.” Moqui is an antiquated term for Hopi, and this sticker is another indication of the bowl’s early age.