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A beautiful Hopi/Navajo
pictorial Sun Face pottery plate
by Nathan Begaye, 1994
This is an exceptional seven or eight-color polychrome pottery plate by the talented and extremely innovative Hopi/Navajo potter, Nathan Begaye (1958-2010). Born to a Hopi Mother and a Navajo Father, Begay has taken elements of the important Sun imagery and powerful symbolism of both the Hopi and Navajo here and combined them into this extraordinary presentation. This cross cultural referencing is characteristic of his unique work which mixes ancient historic cultural elements with a distinctly modern viewpoint to come up with a truly original personal style.
His color palette is an important part of this style and Nathan Begaye went to great lengths to source natural materials for his wide spectrum color palette as witnessed here in the range of color from the orange-pink background slip to the various shades of browns, mauves, greens and blue all of which give the piece a distinctive
and very painterly quality.
HOPI AND NAVAJO SUN SYMBOLS
"Tawa" is the Sun spirit and creator in Hopi mythology as shown above at left. Most Hopi creation stories center around Tawa, the Sun spirit. Tawa is the creator, and it was he who formed the "First World" out of Tokpella, or endless space, as well as its original inhabitants. It is still traditional for Hopi mothers to seek a blessing from the sun for their newborn children.
To the Navajo, the Sun itself is a powerful symbol of life-giving power, renewal and the Father figure in their creation stories. When represented as at right above, The Navajo Sun is often depicted with a central element surrounded by rays. This symbol connects to their sacred number four, representing the cardinal directions, seasons, stages of life and obligations.
Hopi Sun source and © Wikipedia. Navajo Sun source and © Google
The plate measures a dramatic 10 1/2" in diameter and it has a shallow depth of 1 1/2". It is in generally excellent original condition with a few very minor abrasions to the surface, but no cracks or chips. It appears that there was a 2-3" area at the very top center of the plate where a piece of the rim might have been repaired, but this section does not flouresce at all under a thorough Ultraviolet light examination which indicates to us that it is original to the piece and done by Nathan Begaye himself before the piece was painted and fired. The plate is properly signed and dated on the bottom as follows with the addition of a painted white feather design just below the rim.
“NATHAN BEGAYE HOPI NAVAJO 10 29 94”
This plate is a very fine and artistically original cross cultural piece by a uniquely innovative pottery maker who beautifully fused ancient traditional pottery designs, forms, and techniques interpreting and presenting them in
a fresh and strikingly modern-day manner.
Price $2,150
Please note that the acrylic display stand shown here is for demonstration purposes only and is not included in the sale of this pottery plate.