Hopi-Tewa Large Polychrome Pottery Seed Jar by Rondina Huma [SOLD]

This large Hopi Pueblo polychrome pottery seed jar illustrates exactly why Rondina 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 size.

While the vessel’s shape is noteworthy, it’s Huma’s design work that is truly remarkable.  This jar’s intricate imagery lies within three separate sets of horizontal framing lines. The set of framing lines at the jar’s rim is comprised of three thin circles.  The sets at the bottom and middle each include a wider line and a series of lines that cross and intersect, creating circular bands of diamonds and triangles. These sets of framing lines are linked by a series of smaller, thinner lines which extend to and from the framing lines in a variety of directions.  Within the large triangles created by these intersecting marks, the artist painted elaborate webs of geometric patterns and traditional Hopi pottery designs. It is a hypnotic and beautiful piece from one of the best and most unique Hopi-Tewa artists of today.

Almost all of this large jar’s surface is decorated.  Huma left the jar’s bottom—signed “Rondina Huma, Tewa, Polacca Ariz.”—and rim undecorated, exposing its soft, tan color.

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 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-Tewa potters.

Condition: Excellent condition.  Very minor touch up to the brown pigment after firing.  This is typical procedure when the brown pigment gets scratched during the firing process. This touch-up was done by the artist after firing.

Provenance: this Hopi-Tewa Large Polychrome Pottery Seed Jar by Rodina Huma is from  the large collection of a New Jersey resident, who purchased it from a Santa Fe gallery in the 1980s.

Recommended Reading: Designs on Prehistoric Hopi Pottery by Jesse Walter Fewkes

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Pottery, Rondina Huma, Hopi Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery