Hopi Pueblo Pottery Jar By Natelle Navasie

ca.  2010

2.5" H x 3.375" D

Hand Coiled Handsome Small Black and Red on White Jar with a Geometric Design and a Frog Hallamark with initial "N" on the Bottom

In Very Good Condition with Very Light Surface Wear

The frog hallmark originated with Paqua Naha (c. 1890–1955), the "First Frog Woman." She pioneered the modern white-slipped pottery style in the early 1950s, using black (beeweed) and red (clay slip) paints on a white background with traditional Hopi designs inspired by ancient Sikyátki, Awatovi, and Payupki motifs (e.g., stylized birds, feathers, clouds, rain, parrots, and geometric elements).andreafisherpottery.com  Paqua Naha: Frog with short, straight toes.

Joy Navasie (1919–2012, "Second Frog Woman" or "Yellow Flower," Paqua’s daughter): Continued and popularized the tradition until retiring around 1995. Her frogs have webbed toes. She signed primarily with the frog (no initial for her main work).

gormanmuseum.ucdavis.edu

Later family members (Joy’s children and descendants) typically sign with the family frog hallmark plus an initial (or sometimes "NN," tadpole for younger generations, or name inside the frog). This distinguishes individual potters while honoring the lineage.

culturalpatina.com

An "N" with the frog points to Natelle Navasie (b. 1941, one of Joy’s daughters), who has used signatures like "N / N" or frog + "N." Other family potters (e.g., Marianne used "M," Grace used "G") follow similar conventions.