Begaye, Nathan – Mini Polychrome Cannister (1990)
$ 150.00
This is a small but intricate bowl by Nathan Begaye. He was a unique innovator among Pueblo and Navajo potters. His ethnic connection to both Hopi and Navajo let his clay art flow between the two distinctive styles and yet find its own unique space. His work used traditional designs, forms, and techniques, yet somehow appeared very modern. This cannister has the natural color of the clay and then is painted with various colors of clay. There are rainbows on each side. All the various colors are from natural clay slips. Nathan would paint the clay slips the piece and then stone polish each section. It was time-consuming but the results were amazing. The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Nathan Begaye”. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair. While small, it is quite exceptional in detail! The last photo is one I took of Nathan when he was living in Phoenix and I had the opportunity to see him work on the pottery as it was in process.
Out of stock






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.