Begaye, Nathan – 9″ Wide Green “Modern Petroglyph” Jar (1999)
$ 2,200.00
This is a large wide shoulder jar by Nathan Begaye. He was a unique innovator among Pueblo and Navajo potters. His ancestry of both Hopi and Navajo let his work flow between the two distinctive styles and yet find their own unique space. His work used traditional designs, forms, and techniques, yet somehow appeared very modern. For many of his pieces, he would talk about them being “layered”, much like his own cultural and personal experiences. That is often the best way to look at these pieces and extract something from each of the varied layers. I remember Nathan would call this style his “modern petroglyph” series. They are pieces that are stone polished and then painted with variety of geometric designs and the “splatter” of the clay. They were meant to have the idea of ancient designs but modernized. The green on his pieces is always distinctive (the green is a clay high in copper) and this jar has both clay slips and silver lusture to create the designs. The inside of the neck is polished with a red clay and the rim is textured. This is one of those “iconic” pieces by Nathan that still feel ahead of their time in colors and combination of historic and modern appearances. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Nathan Begay ’99”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Out of stock
This is a large wide shoulder jar by Nathan Begaye. He was a unique innovator among Pueblo and Navajo potters. His ancestry of both Hopi and Navajo let his work flow between the two distinctive styles and yet find their own unique space. His work used traditional designs, forms, and techniques, yet somehow appeared very modern. For many of his pieces, he would talk about them being “layered”, much like his own cultural and personal experiences. That is often the best way to look at these pieces and extract something from each of the varied layers. I remember Nathan would call this style his “modern petroglyph” series. They are pieces that are stone polished and then painted with variety of geometric designs and the “splatter” of the clay. They were meant to have the idea of ancient designs but modernized. The green on his pieces is always distinctive (the green is a clay high in copper) and this jar has both clay slips and silver lusture to create the designs. The inside of the neck is polished with a red clay and the rim is textured. This is one of those “iconic” pieces by Nathan that still feel ahead of their time in colors and combination of historic and modern appearances. The jar is signed on the bottom, “Nathan Begay ’99”. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Brand
Begaye, Nathan (1958-2010)
Nathan Begaye was a unique innovator among Pueblo and Navajo potters. His ethnic connection to both Hopi and Navajo let his work flow between the two distinctive styles and yet find their own unique space. His work used traditional designs, forms, and techniques, yet somehow appeared very modern. Nathan was one of the innovators of Native pottery and was featured in numerous books, including "Free Spirit: The New Native American Indian Potter", "Beyond Traditions" and others. His pottery can also be found in the permanent collection of the Heard and other museums.