Southwest Pottery

[Wildhorse]

South West Indian Pottery is my second collection around here. I have long loved the pottery that is made in the southwest. We have traveled in Arizona and New Mexico and have gone out and found the Native American potters. Spent time with most in their homes and some of the best people you could ever hope to meet. Aquired some beautiful examples of their work and love to show people who come around. Just wondering if any of you guys have interest in this area. Now all my stuff is new in the last 20 years. But I have noticed that some of them are worth more than the old stuff I see selling. Interesting that new would be worth so much. I have paid up to $700 dollars for one pot but most around $100 to $200. Depending on the artist what they get for their work. It's a fun and rewarding collection. Thanks guys for this forum.

[Creekfreek]

Yes I just purchased a anasazi piece,you a right about the newer pottery some of it goes for big bucks saw a piece at auction go for over 200 g.

[paleo_joe]

How do you know how to value it? If I saw a vessel, how do you tell a $100 pot from a $800 pot?

[Wildhorse]

That is one of the things that makes so much fun with the idea of collecting. I am no expert by any means. Just a guy who loves the art work. I have read some, What I think is first and most important is who made it? So much junk for sale that you must know that first. I never buy from anyone but the artist themselves. I went out and hunted down the artist that I wanted to buy from. It was hard to find some of them. They tend to let someone else sell their work and stay home. Some welcome you in and others don't want to be bothered. Just takes a little work but I will not buy unless I can meet the artist. Makes for wonderful memories also. Second is quality quality you can't say that to much. Quality is what makes the pot worth money. Size, shape, art work, all play in on value but most of all the artist who made the pot. Some of the best are out of my price range so I bought some with the hope that the artist would make a name for themselves and then my pot would be worth more. Sadly one of the Hopi artists I bought from passed away. Now my $200 pot is worth ten times what I paid. He made a name in the Indian art world and then passed away and his pots are in high demand now with collectors. Anyone interested needs to read and understand before going out. I will get some photo's of some and post them later. OK guys I will get off for a while. Thanks for the interest I love this stuff. Wanted to add that now with the internet you can find some of the artists selling on their own sites.I have seen some I bought from with their own stuff for sale on the internet. Do a search on the different Indian groups your interested in and you will find plenty of them now easy to get to.

[John G. Scoggins]

Here's a piece I was given for appraising a local collection.I know absolutely nothing about it except for that I like it.

[Wildhorse]

Hi John; Beautiful piece. Just search the artist and see what her pots are selling for and you will get a idea on value. i think you were paid well from the photo. Very nice pot.

[Mojave]

Anasazi I think...

[tomclark]

A small pot made by Nellie Nampeyo given to me by a man whose father was a traveling salesman and picked up some ottery and beaded items. His father would be about 90 years old and could have picked this up at a local tourist shop. I was going to list it on eBay, got some info on it, etc., didn't put it up for auction.... so the paragraphs below were written for an eBay auction.

HOPI TEWA "SIKYATKI REVIVAL" POLYCHROME POTTERY POT or BOWL signed by NELLIE NAMPEYO. It measures approximately 3" TALL by 4.5" WIDE with a top opening hole of approx. 3". Nellie Duoma Nampeyo (1896-1978) was the daughter of the very famous Tewa Hopi Indian woman potter "Nampeyo of Hano", or simply "Nampeyo", (1857-1942). NELLIE DUOMA NAMPEYO's pottery is hard to find. This RARE piece dates to XXXX and is possibly one of her earliest pots as it resembles her mother's in some ways. It has some unusual designs from the limited research I've been able to do, such as crossed out lined boxes and a very finely checkered triangular area. Is also has repetitive triangle designs, one that goes from small to large across the bowl. It has xxxxx two stripes at the bottom and two stripes around the rim. The inside is not painted. The white colored parts of this piece are almost like an ivory color. I've read that Nellie used this whitish color of slip on only some of her pieces at certain times in her life.
The designs are painted with a brownish paint that is lighter in areas. This pot measures 4.5" wide, 3" tall and the top hole is approximately 3". The pot has two cracks, one on either side of the rim, neither of which goes through the entire pot but do go down the sides, as the pictures show, and some other damage which occurred when made or after which is around it's widest outer portion. Please view the pictures carefully as they document these. xxxxxxxx It is estimated to date from c19xxxx, . It is hand-coiled and painted by Nellie Nampeyo. This pot is signed by her very clearly on the bottom. I Guarantee that this is an authentic Hopi pot that was made painted and signed by Nellie Nampeyo.

Nellie Nampeyo painted and made pottery approximately between 1910-1978, so the dating of this bowl is very important and is difficult if not impossible at this time for me, a non collector or researcher of this type and age of artifact, without much more research and homework. My specialty is in prehistoric native american shell artifacts from West Central Gulf Coast Florida, of which I know quite a bit. It is most likely and my opinion that at the time this pot was being made, Nellie's mother, Nampeyo, was making pottery and her daughters Annie and Nellie were learning to make pottery from their mother and learning to paint her designs. The older Nampeyo was going blind and she needed help from her family and children to paint her pots for her as the years went by. It is reported that the older Nampeyo was blind by 1920. Some of the pottery that is painted or signed by Annie or Nellie during their early period was actually made by "Mother" Nampeyo. When I tried to find out information about this wonderful little painted bowl, I thought it was very possible that her mother had made it.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx But when I examined it, I was delighted to find that Nellie actually made this bowl herself, making it a pot that she both hand-coiled and painted around 1912! XXXXX It has no extra coil on the inner rimxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Certain attributes possible date it to c19xxxxxx This bowl is finished with a whitish clay slip that Nampeyo was reportedly using from xxxxxx1900 to 1915. It fires from creamy white or an amberish color to a pinkish color. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Nellie reportedly used the same reddish-brown paint that Nampeyo was using c1900 to c1915. This reddish brown paint was only used for a short time by Nampeyo and her family, and not after the 1920's. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I cannot truly tell if this is an early or late piece for Nellie or her mother.

This is an historic Hopi "Sikyatki Revival" rare artistic treasure made by the Nampeyo of Hano family, signed by the Hopi XXXXXX Artist NELLIE NAMPEYO. I believe it was made during the time that she was under the direction and help of "Old Lady" Nampeyo.

[Wildhorse]

Nice historic pot Tom; I don't know about value on a pot with so much wear and the cracks. But it may well be worth more to you to keep. My limited knowlege says they must be in really good shape to hold collector value. I have a Nampeyo pot done also by one of the girls of the family. I will post some photo's to give you a idea of what the condition needs to be to hold value. Yes rare is rare but with the pots today we deal with collectors and just like our artifacts they want only the best. I have some like yours that my mom got on her honeymoon in the 1920's and they will never have much value because of the condition. Quality is so important on these silly things.