Hopi Polychrome Seed Jar by Rondina Huma c.1989

This is one of Rondina Huma's masterpieces of design. Every inch of the surface is filled with potsherd designs from the rim down to the base. Rondina was not only an outstanding artist, she had an abundance of patience in order to paint so many designs on a single vessel. This polychrome seed jar illustrates exactly why Huma's works are so highly collectible. The vessel itself, clearly crafted by the hand of a master potter, is beautifully shaped and smoothly polished. Viewing it from a variety of directions reveals near-perfect symmetry. Its straight shoulder and shallow, curved underbody are consistent all the way around the vessel, which is rare in jars of this style. While the vessel's shape is noteworthy, it's Huma's design work that is truly remarkable.

Huma signed the underside Rondina Huma, Tewa Village, Polacca Az.

Rondina Huma (1947- ) is a Hopi-Tewa potter who has lived in the village of Polacca since childhood. A member of the Tewa Kachina/Parrot Clan, Huma produces her pottery in the traditional method. Her vessels are hand-coiled, painted with vegetal and mineral paints, and fired outdoors. Her works are inspired by those of her ancestors but are instantly recognizable as her own. Her complex and beautiful design work — painted with brushes fashioned from yucca leaves — has become as reliable an identifier as her signature itself. Huma is regarded by Pueblo pottery collectors as one of the finest contemporary Hopi potters.

Condition: very good structural condition with some minor pigment abrasion around the rim.

Provenance: this Hopi Polychrome Seed Jar by Rondina Huma c.1989 is from the collection of a family from New Mexico who purchased it from Gallery 10 in Santa Fe in 1989.

Recommended Reading: Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

TAGS: Contemporary Pottery, Hopi Pueblo, Rondina Huma