Tahbo, Mark – Bowl Polychrome Bowl with Birds (2008-10)
$ 800.00
WOW! This is a colorful and detailed bowl by Mark Tahbo. He learned to make pottery from his great grandmother, Grace Chapella. His pieces reflect the wonderful symmetry and thin walls of an excellent potter. This bowl is from around 2008-10. It is painted with a bird on each side, and they are separated by cloud designs. One bird has mauve clay highlights for the tail and neck. The other bird is more classic with red painted wings. They are both painted in a very contemporary manner with complex feather designs. The piece was highly fired to create the various blushes on the surface, which range from white to a dark orange. Mark was one of the pioneers of reviving the “blushes” on Hopi-Tewa pottery and this is a perfect example of how a plainware piece can appear so stunning! The piece is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom, “M. Tahbo”, along with a pipe representing that he is Tobacco Clan.
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Mark Tahbo learned to make pottery from his great grandmother, Grace Chapella. His pieces reflect the wonderful symmetry and thin walls of an excellent potter. This seedpot is from 1996. It is highly polished and painted with a Mimbres inspired bat on the top. The piece is also highly fired to create the various blushes on the surface which range from white to a dark orange. Mark was one of the pioneers of reviving the “blushes” on Hopi-Tewa pottery and this is a perfect example of how a plainware piece can appear so stunning! The seedpot is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair. It is signed on the bottom with his name a a pipe representing that he is Tobacco Clan.
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Tahbo, Mark (1958-2017)
Mark Tahbo
Mark Tahbo was a Hopi-Tewa member of the Tobacco Clan. He had been an active potter since 1978. He learned to make pottery from his great-grandmother, Grace Chapella. His sisters Diana and Pam were also potters. Mark was influential in the early 1990s in recognizing Hopi pottery's traditional firing and keeping it as a practice among Hopi-Tewa.
Mark had won numerous awards for his pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Indian Market, and Gallup Ceremonials. In 1991, he won the Overall Prize at Santa Fe Indian Market. In 1992 he was awarded Best of Division at the Heard Museum Indian Fair. Awards continued to be presented to him in 1993 and 1994. His pottery is featured in books such as "Talking with the Clay" and "Collecting Authentic Indian Art." He is remembered as one of the exceptional traditional innovators of Hopi pottery. His pieces reflect the remarkable symmetry and thin walls of an excellent potter. The designs are painted using native clay slips and beeweed plants for the black.
Sadly, Mark passed away in December 2017. We were lucky to work with him at King Galleries for over 20 years. His creativity and artistic genius will be missed.