Elmore Indian Art

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Early Navajo Sandcast Ketoh (Bow Guard) c.1900-1910

This superb example of an early sandcast Navajo ketoh or bow guard dates to 1900-1910. Navajo or Diné silversmithing began around 1875, with turquoise additions by about 1880. Early examples, including this one, utilize melted down US or Mexican coin silver, also referred to as ingot silver. Sandcasting involves complex carving out of sandstone to create a mold. This is an early and excellent example.

The ketoh has excellent stamping and natural American turquoise cabochons. The side is decorated with five classic hand-hammered buttons. The leather part of the ketoh is intact and appears to be original to the piece. The central silverwork on the ketoh measures 3 3/4" height asnd 2 3/4" width, and would fit about a 6 1/2 to 7" wrist.

Now available in our Santa Fe gallery—please inquire by phone or email. 505-995-9677 [email protected]

Hopi Polychrome Eagle Tail Jar by Nampeyo, c.1910

Nampeyo (1856-1942) made this uniquely-shaped seed jar around 1910. The form shows strong influence from American art pottery. The jar’s form, with its bulging top and narrow bottom, perfectly complements Nampeyo’s classic eagle tail design with talons and feathers dropping down. The mouth of the jar is symmetrically framed by a square, another Nampeyo hallmark. The jar measures 4 ¾” height and 5 ¼” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition.

Now available on our website—link is posted in comments below.

We are thrillled to announce that Steve Elmore's documentary short, "In Search of Nampeyo," will premiere at the Santa Fe International Film Festival this month. The screening will take place at CCA (the Center for Contemporary Arts) in Santa Fe, Sunday, October 23rd, at 5pm. Purchase tickets and see more information: https://boxoffice.santafe.film/events/newmexicodocumentaryshorts/

View the trailer for the documentary with password FEST1: https://vimeo.com/743962572

"In Search of Nampeyo" documents one man’s thirty-year quest to understand the work and life of the Hopi modernist potter-artist Nampeyo (1856-1942). Art historian Steve Elmore takes the viewer on a deeply personal journey into the lives of contemporary and ancestral Hopi people, particularly the traditional potters at Hopi. The film is directed by Tom Radford, produced by Steve Elmore and Steve LaRance, and features Rachel Sahmie, Neil David, Sr., Vernida Polacca Nampeyo, and Bennie Naseyoma.

Large Hopi Polychrome Jar with Dancing Kachinas by Mark Tahbo

This masterpiece-level jar is signed by the late Hopi-Tewa potter, Mark Tahbo (1958-2017), and Steve believes it to be one of the best pieces that Mark ever made. Mark was the great-grandson of Grace Chapella, and a member of the To***co Clan. He was known for making spectacular innovative pottery using traditional molding, painting, and firing techniques.

Eight different kachinas, mostly ogres, dance around the outside of this large symmetrically-molded jar. The kachinas include Masau, Nata-aska (Black Ogre), Turwunag (Cumulus Cloud), Pohaha (Four-horned), and Sumaikoli. The dark bottom of the jar has petroglyph-like birds etched into the guaco. The jar measures 10" height and 12 1/2" diameter, and is in excellent, original condition.

Now available on our website—link is posted in the comments below.

Rare Hopi Red and Yellow Slip Bowl by Nampeyo, c.1900

This important bowl is one of only a few examples where Nampeyo experimented with split slips. Nampeyo made this bowl around 1900. The design is classic Sikyatki Revival, with an abstract avian theme on the bottom featuring her well-known swirl with tail feathers. At the top, on the red section of the bowl, the design has a unique white outline. Additionally, the rim of the bowl has Nampeyo's signature extra coil. The bowl measures 3 3/8” height and 9 3/8” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Rare, Large Sherd Jar by Rachel Sahmie

This Hopi storage jar by Rachel Sahmie features a unique collage of many different Hopi designs that she has used over her long career. Here, Rachel is freewheeling with many different designs to create a complex mosaic inspired by ancient potsherds. This is one of the first jars Rachel made in homage to the potsherds. The jar has an exceptionally small base, something both Rachel and her mother Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo are known for. The jar measures 11 ½” height and 12” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition. Now available on our website—link in comments.

Join us this Friday for the opening of the Sikyatki Revival show, featuring pottery by Nampeyo and new works by her great-great-granddaughter, Rachel Sahmie.

Opening reception with Rachel Sahmie Friday, August 19th, 4pm-7pm at Elmore Indian Art, 839 Paseo de Peralta in Santa Fe.

See the show on our website:

https://elmoreindianart.com/Collections/Nampeyo_Pottery/Sikyatki_Revival_Show/

Hopi Polychrome Dish by Nampeyo, c.1895-1900

This superb example shows Nampeyo developing one of her original designs, the spirit bird. On this piece, Nampeyo has combined several of her famous design elements into an original abstract design: eagle tail feathers, the bear claw/migration design, and the spirit bird. This version of her abstract bird sports eagle tail feathers and a linear design on the bird’s face, which references the migration or bear claw variation below it. The piece has holes at the top for hanging on a wall. The dish measures 1” height and 6” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition with one minor rim chip repair.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Check our website for this newly acquired collection of 1960s-70s Hopi kachina dolls!

Pictured left to right: Koshare, Omau-u (Cloud), Tuskiapaya (Crazy Rattle)

Hopi Polychrome Jar with Eagle Tail Design by Rachel Namingha Nampeyo

This polychrome jar is signed "Rachel Nampeyo," indicating it was potted by Rachel Namingha Nampeyo (1903-1985). Rachel was a significant Hopi master potter who was instrumental in continuing the Sikyatki Revival. She was the granddaughter of Nampeyo and the daughter of Annie Healing Nampeyo. Rachel was also the mother of Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo, and the grandmother of Rachel Sahmie, two other monumental Nampeyo family potters.

This classic jar features one of the most well-known Nampeyo family designs, the eagle tail design. The eagle tail design was perfected by Nampeyo and passed down through the generations. The jar is well-molded, and traditionally pit-fired. A red square frames the mouth of the jar, creating four panels of eagle tail feathers and talons dropping down the sides of the jar. The jar measures 6 1/2" height and 8" diameter, and is in excellent, original condition. This is an excellent example of Rachel Nampeyo's work and traditional Nampeyo family pottery.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Acoma Polychrome Canteen, c.1900

This superb polychrome Acoma canteen dates to the turn of the century or earlier. The fat stomach of the canteen protrudes almost to a point and compliments the center point of its geometric design. The design is an abstract, swirling four directions design. The handles are also decorated and the rim of the canteen’s mouth is painted black. The piece is well-molded and traditionally pit-fired. The canteen measures 5 ¾” height and 4 ¾” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Hopi White-Slipped Kachina Canteen by Lena Charlie

This unique kachina canteen is signed on the bottom with Lena Charlie’s corn hallmark. Lena Charlie was a relative of Nampeyo and is known to have painted her pottery when her eyesight began to fail. Particularly after Lessou died in 1930, and Fannie had married and moved away, Nampeyo relied on Lena to paint her pottery for her. Lena Charlie is regarded as a prolific master potter who created pottery for at least 30 years. She is the grandmother of the artist Neil David, who traveled to Chicago with her in the early 1950s to demonstrate pottery.

The canteen is traditionally fired with a pleasing tonality from pure white to rosy orange. The kachina depicted on the face of the canteen appears to be a Sikyatki Revival variation of Ahola with his beak. The canteen measures 9 ½” height at the spout and 9” diameter, and is in excellent condition. The leather-wrapped beak may cover a Native repair. This is a superb and unusual example of Hopi pottery from the 1930s.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Large Hopi Polychrome Bowl by Nampeyo, c.1920

This example from Nampeyo's mature period dates to 1920, and appears to be molded by Nampeyo and painted by her daughter Fannie. The design is a classic example of Nampeyo's Sikyatki Revival, with the familiar abstract bird face with eyes and a beak that she used on many of pots. The bowl measures 5 3/4" height and 12 1/2" diameter, and is in excellent condition with one small rim chip repair.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Hopi Black on Red Seed Jar by Nampeyo, c.1905

Nampeyo made this black on red seed jar during her Grand Canyon period, about 1905. In the summers of 1905 and 1907, the Fred Harvey Company sponsored Nampeyo at their Hopi House at the Grand Canyon, where she sold pottery and demonstrated pottery-making. The jar has a classic Sikyatki Revival design of faces with eyes and a beak, with stippled texturing. This excellent example of Nampeyo's seed jar form is well-molded, and well-fired. The jar measures 3" height and 5 3/4" diameter, and is in excellent, original condition.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Exceptional Early Yellowware Oval Dish by Nampeyo, c.1895-1900

This early example of Nampeyo’s yellowware dates to 1895-1900. This unusual oval dish has both a red rim as well as red used as an outline of the top of the design. While the design is a classic abstracted avian motif, with four “rain drops” underneath, this composition is uniquely Nampeyo’s. The dish shows her learning to paint in the Sikyatki Revival style itself, and not merely copying Sikyatki designs. The bowl measures 1” height, 6 ¼” width, and 7 ¾” length, and is in excellent, original condition.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Early Yellowware Eagle Tail Bowl by Nampeyo, c.1890

This early Sikyatki Revival example of Nampeyo’s yellowware dates to 1890. On this bowl, Nampeyo is expanding on the avian themes of her Sikyatki Revival art movement with eagle tail feathers dropping down, framed by talons. This is an iteration of her eagle tail design, which her descendants continue to use on their pottery. Interestingly, in this version of the design, rather than have the usual two tail feathers simply dropping down, Nampeyo created an original abstraction of them, where they are hanging by a thread right side up. In place of the sky band, Nampeyo used a floral design to fill the top of this bowl. This design shows her experimenting with these design elements before they become refined. Overall, the design is lively and unified. The bowl measures 3” height and 8 ¾” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Oversized Hopi Yellowware Napkin Ring, c.1900

This oversized Hopi yellowware napkin ring dates to about 1900. This eccentric example of an early Hopi piece made for the tourist art market has a red rim and traditional Hopi designs. The piece shows how adaptable the potters were to new forms from other cultures. The napkin ring measures 3 ¼” height, 2 ¾” width, and 3” length, and is in excellent, original condition. Now available on our website.

Hopi Polychrome White-Slipped Open Bowl by Nampeyo, c.1910

Nampeyo (1856-1942) made this open bowl around 1910. This example shows a later, more perfected version of Nampeyo’s white slip. The design is classic Nampeyo, with a “sky” band at the top, with hatched horns or talons dropping down. The bowl measures 1 ¼” height and 6 ¼” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition. Now available on our website.

Native American Antiques Historic Pueblo Pottery Steve Elmore Indian Art

Enjoy 15% off all items in-gallery and online, now through April 30.

elmoreindianart.com

Native American Antiques Historic Pueblo Pottery Steve Elmore Indian Art Native American Antiques, historic pueblo pottery, kachinas, Indian baskets, old pawn jewelry, Navajo weavings and textiles, other Tribal art and Contemporary Paintings by Steve Elmore all at Steve Elmore Indian Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Large Hopi Polychrome Open Bowl by Jeremy Adams Nampeyo

Jeremy Adams Nampeyo fired this large Hopi open bowl in August of 2021. Jeremy is a young, up-and-coming sixth generation Nampeyo family traditional potter, who learned pottery-making from his mother, Vernida Polacca Nampeyo. Vernida is the great-granddaughter of Nampeyo, and granddaughter of Fannie, Nampeyo's most masterful potting daughter, who instructed Vernida in the family tradition. Jeremy took inspiration for the design and form of this bowl directly from a large open bowl by Nampeyo in Steve Elmore's collection. The red sky band with eagle tail feathers and avian themes are all classic examples of Nampeyo's designs. The bowl measures 3 1/2" height and 13 1/4" diameter, and is in excellent, original condition. The first photo shows Jeremy and Vernida posing with the bowl. We are proud to represent Jeremy's work as he continues to master the traditional pottery his family is known for.

Hopi Polychrome Head by Nampeyo, c.1915

Nampeyo made this polychrome effigy around 1915. The piece shows clear influence from Emry Kopta, the Austrian sculptor who lived at First Mesa for twelve years and was known for his own ceramic busts. Walter Hough, anthropological curator at the Smithsonian, wrote an article about Kopta and Nampeyo’s collaboration in clay.

A band of eagle feathers decorates the head on this piece, with more feathers and kiva steps at the neck. The ears are charmingly adorned with painted earrings. The effigy measures 6 ½ height, 4 ½” depth, and 5 ¼” width, and is in excellent, original condition. This superb example of Nampeyo’s eccentric form and influence from the Western world would be a highlight of any collection of Hopi or Pueblo pottery.

Now available on our website—link in the comments.

Acoma Polychrome Parrot and Rainbow Jar by Marie Z. Chino

Although unsigned, this Acoma polychrome jar is clearly the work of Acoma master potter and matriarch Marie Z. Chino (1906-1982). The classic parrot and rainbow design on this jar matches those on other pieces by Marie (see full description on our website). The design is well-executed and symmetrically fits the thinly-molded jar. The parrot and rainbow design fired a little darker on one side, evidence that the jar was traditionally pit-fired. The jar measures 8 ¾” height and 10” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition. Marie had five daughters who became potters, most notably Grace Chino and Rose Chino Garcia, and she nurtured both her children and grandchildren’s pottery careers.

Hopi Polacca Kachina Tile by Nampeyo

This Hopi Polacca kachina tile by Nampeyo dates to the late 1880s. The tile has an old Fred Harvey "From the Hopi Villages" label on the back. The Polacca slip has some craquelure, indicative of Nampeyo's early work, when she had not yet perfected the thickness of her slips. The image of the kachina face is similar to those on other tiles Nampeyo made during this period, many of which are in museum collections. The tile measures 3 3/4" height and 3 3/8" width, and is in excellent, original condition.

Please note this piece has sold.

Large Hopi Polychrome Open Bowl by Fannie Nampeyo

This impressive large Hopi polychrome open bowl was made by Fannie Nampeyo in the 1920s, and sports Fred Harvey “Hopi Villages” stickers on the bottom with her name. Fannie Nampeyo was the most accomplished of Nampeyo’s three potting daughters, known for both her excellent molding and painting. This large bowl is well-molded with a rolled-in rim. The design fills the interior of the bowl, and has the bold black elements and delicate textured painting that Fannie’s work is known for. The bowl measures 4 ¼” height and 13 ¼” diameter, and is in excellent, original condition. Compare the design on this bowl to the bowl molded by Nampeyo and painted by Fannie, inventory number P4386 on our website (link in the comments).

Hopi-Navajo Green Seed Jar by Nathan Begaye

Hopi-Navajo master potter Nathan Begaye (1958-2010) made this green seed jar in 1991. The bottom of the jar is dated 2-22-91, along with the artist’s signature. The jar exemplifies Nathan's skill as a potter, from its symmetrical hand-coiled molding to the original abstract design. This piece is an excellent example of Nathan’s innovation as a potter, combining traditional Hopi and Navajo themes with abstract expressionism. The jar measures 4 ½” height and 8 ½” diameter, and is in excellent condition with one hairline firing crack repair.

Read Nathan's full biography on our website—link in the comments.

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.