Polacca, Thomas – Bowl with Carved Koshari on a Rainbow (1980)

This is an exceptional carved bowl by Thomas Polacca.  Thomas was a son of noted potter Fannie Nampeyo and a grandson of Nampeyo of Hano.  He is considered among the first men to begin making pottery at Hopi in the 1970s.  Interestingly, the men initially did not use the traditional Sikyatki painted designs but followed other directions in their pottery.  This bowl is round in shape, and it is very deeply carved.  One side has a Koshari clown on a rainbow over a band of eagle feathers representing the rising sun.  There are lightning designs and the opposite side has classic Hopi-Twea geometrics.  They are, again, deeply carved, and note how the central designs are slipped with clay to create the appearance of wood insets.  The bowl captures the skill and carving abilities of Thomas as he was creating this innovative new style of Hopi-Tewa pottery.  The bowl is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “T Namepyo”.  It is from 1980.  

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Polacca, Thomas (1935 - 2003)

Thomas Polacca was a son of noted potter Fannie Nampeyo and a grandson of Nampeyo of Hano. Along with Wallace Youvella (the husband of his sister Iris), Thomas was one of the first Hopi men to make and design pottery in the 1970s. Wallace and Thomas told the story that they first tried making pottery with "traditional" designs. Still, there was resistance from the women, so they began to create a new style of Hopi pottery with carved designs, much like Hopi Katsinas. Thomas received wide acclaim for his pottery over the years, and his work is in numerous museums, such as the Heard, the Denver Art Museum, and others.