Overlay Work
Overlay Work
The Hopi-led mid-century Native American silversmithing tradition
Overlay work is the Native American silversmithing technique most closely associated with Hopi makers of northern Arizona, in which a pierced top sheet of sterling silver is soldered to an oxidised backing sheet to produce a two-tone graphic composition. The technique emerged at the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild in the late 1940s and became the defining stylistic signature of Hopi silver in the second half of the twentieth century, distinguishing Hopi work from the stamped repoussé of the Navajo and the channel inlay of the Zuni.
Historical development
Hopi silversmithing developed in the late nineteenth century under Navajo influence, with Hopi smiths working initially in the broadly Diné style of stamped, repoussé, and stone-set forms. After the First World War, museum collectors and government cultural-policy bodies began to push for a more visually distinctive Hopi style, drawing on the iconographic vocabulary of Hopi pottery and basketry rather than on the imported Mexican and Spanish-American silver vocabulary that had shaped early Navajo work.
The decisive institutional moment came with the establishment of the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild at Second Mesa in 1949, with backing from the Indian Arts and Crafts Board and the United States Department of the Interior. The guild's training programme, organised by Paul Saufkie and Fred Kabotie, taught a refined version of the overlay technique that had been developed experimentally in the 1930s, and the result was a coherent, marketable Hopi style that established itself rapidly in the post-war market for Native American craft.
Technique and tools
The overlay process requires precise sawing, careful soldering, and controlled chemical oxidation. The maker draws or transfers the design onto a sheet of sterling, drills a pilot hole within each negative space, threads a fine jeweller's saw blade through the hole, and saws the negative space free. The top sheet, now pierced with the design, is soldered to a backing sheet of identical outline. The assembly is cleaned, the recessed background is texture-stamped through the piercing, and the piece is heated in a liver-of-sulphur or comparable patinating bath to oxidise the recessed surfaces. Final finishing brings the raised top sheet to a bright polish while the oxidised, textured background remains dark.
The technique demands accuracy: every line must be cleanly cut, the soldered seam must be invisible from above, and the patination must remain confined to the recessed background. Overlay is therefore one of the more demanding silversmithing techniques in the Native American repertoire and rewards the time invested.
Iconography
Overlay design vocabulary draws on Hopi religious and clan symbolism — water, corn, rain, eagle, bear-paw, kachina, and the spiral and step motifs derived from pottery — translated into bold geometric line work suited to the saw-piercing process. The compositions are typically symmetrical and architectural, with the figure-ground relationship between bright top sheet and dark background carrying most of the visual weight.
Makers and the market
The principal mid-century makers — Paul Saufkie, Fred Kabotie, Bernard Dawahoya, Charles Loloma, Victor Coochwytewa, Preston Monongye — are now collected at high prices through Native American art galleries and the auction houses. The contemporary generation of Hopi overlay makers, including Cheyenne Kahe, Watson Honanie, Steve LaRance, and others, continue to extend the tradition. Hopi overlay is typically signed with the maker's hallmark on the reverse, and unsigned overlay work in the Hopi style should be regarded with caution.
In the trade
Authentic Hopi overlay trades through the established Native American art market in Santa Fe, Sedona, Flagstaff, and Phoenix, with significant auction representation through Bonhams Skinner, Heritage, and the regional houses. Pricing depends on maker recognition, design ambition, and the technical quality of the work. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes the misrepresentation of non-Native work as Native American a federal offence, and reputable dealers will provide written authentication.
Care
The deliberate oxidation of the recessed background is integral to the design and must not be removed by aggressive polishing. Cleansing should be by soft cloth and mild soap; commercial silver dips are inappropriate. Storage in a tarnish-resistant cloth is recommended.