Pencil initials (JLS) on bottom. Other symbols (Clan symbol?) illegible due to wear on bottom.

#2 marked on bottom in pencil. The pencil marks are under the glazing.

This is a squat bowl (5 3/8" in diameter) in the Hopi-Teva style with the opening smaller than the diameter. The design is black on red with the traditional migration motif (interlocking curls or waves). This design is a revival of the ancient Sikyatki style, similar to the style of the Nampeyo family in the 1920s and 1930s.

The bowl is clearly hand-made and hand painted. It is formed from yellow clay and is decorated with dark brown to black paint. The design is the classic migration motif with three lines on each curl or wave, which are thought to represent eagle feathers (see photos). The bowl appears to have been hand-coiled using hand-dug clay, burnished, decorated, and then pit fired. There are very clear "Hopi Blush" dark orange and light yellow areas on the bowl indicative of pit firing. The clay body shows visible specks of natural debris or temper in the clay which is not found in commercial clay.

There is wear on the bottom of the bowl indicating some age. There are some dark spots on the bottom of the inside of the bowl. The spots are in the glaze and may be drops of paint that fell into the bowl during decoration.

I estimate this bowl to be from Hopi-Tewa region made anytime from the 1940s to the 1970s. This is based on the design, the pit firing marks, the wear on the bottom. The JLS initials may be of someone in the Silas family. The Silas family is a prominent lineage of Hopi-Tewa potters from Polacca at First Mesa, Arizona. They are renowned for continuing the Sikyátki-style revival, the family is best known for the intricate, prehistoric-inspired designs mastered by the late matriarch Roberta Youvella Silas and her highly accomplished descendants.

The bowl is in excellent condition. No chips, cracks, or repairs. It measures about 5 3/8" in diameter and 3 1/8" tall. The opening is about 3 1/4" in diameter. It is a nice size for decoration, salt or other spices.