Begaye, Nathan – Polychrome Sun Design Seedpot “Rattle” (1990)
$ 1,400.00
This is a creative polychrome seedpot 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 piece is round in shape and cut through on the front. When holding it, it rattles. I realized when I was looking at the shape and design, that he had made it in the shape of a Hopi rattle (that would normally be a gourd). The designs on the side are like the designs on the sides of the rattles! The piece is fully polished white. The side have geometric designs, almost like stitching. But look closely, as they are painted with bee-weed (black) with blue rectangular highlights! The top has a sun design with a colorful checkerboard design in the center. Extending outward are the rays of the sun. Each area of color was stone polished before the piece was fired. There is green, blue, brown, red, white, and orange. The black is bee-weed (a plant). It is an extraordinary number of colors on this piece and the result is quite spectacular. I remember going to Nathan’s apartment when he lived in Phoenix. I would watch him work on painting his pottery. He would talk about each of the colors, and some were more difficult to source than others. The purple and blues, I remember, were the most difficult to find. The seedpot was traditionally fired to create the blushes on the surface and the white has a very pearlescent appearance. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair. It is signed on the bottom, “Nathan Begaye”. It is from 1990. The last photo is a picture I took of Nathan when he was living in Phoenix. He moved there for several years, and I would go to his apartment and see what he was working on and hear the stories about his pottery, the clays, and his firings.
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This is a creative polychrome seedpot 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 piece is round in shape and cut through on the front. When holding it, it rattles. I realized when I was looking at the shape and design, that he had made it in the shape of a Hopi rattle (that would normally be a gourd). The designs on the side are like the designs on the sides of the rattles! The piece is fully polished white. The side have geometric designs, almost like stitching. But look closely, as they are painted with bee-weed (black) with blue rectangular highlights! The top has a sun design with a colorful checkerboard design in the center. Extending outward are the rays of the sun. Each area of color was stone polished before the piece was fired. There is green, blue, brown, red, white, and orange. The black is bee-weed (a plant). It is an extraordinary number of colors on this piece and the result is quite spectacular. I remember going to Nathan’s apartment when he lived in Phoenix. I would watch him work on painting his pottery. He would talk about each of the colors, and some were more difficult to source than others. The purple and blues, I remember, were the most difficult to find. The seedpot was traditionally fired to create the blushes on the surface and the white has a very pearlescent appearance. It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair. It is signed on the bottom, “Nathan Begaye”. It is from 1990. The last photo is a picture I took of Nathan when he was living in Phoenix. He moved there for several years, and I would go to his apartment and see what he was working on and hear the stories about his pottery, the clays, and his firings.
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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.