Rondina Huma Small Jar with Potshard Designs

This small traditional low-shouldered polychrome jar with a smooth, inward-tapering neck and crisp polish showcases the signature intricate aesthetic of Hopi-Tewa potter Rondina Huma (b. 1947). The lower body features Huma's hallmark technique: a dense tapestry of prehistoric Sikyatki-inspired shard patterns, fine cross-hatching, rain-capes, geometric triangles, and spiraling migration motifs woven tightly together. At the upper level, a prominent, fine-line webbed band encircles the shoulder, separating the complex lower body from an upper rim framed by bold terracotta red blocks accented with textured spatter fields. 

The vessel was hand-coiled using native Hopi clay, hand-polished, and painted with natural pigments. It was outdoor fired, giving the clay its warm, varied background tone.

The signature reads: Rondina Huma / Tewa Village / Polacca, Ariz.

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. Self-taught and active since the early 1970s, Huma is one of the most celebrated contemporary Hopi potters. She is a two-time Best of Show winner at the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market (1986 and 1996), a rare honor that established her as a master of the medium.

Condition: very good condition structurally. There are some surface abrasions in  two sections but they are not immediately noticeable until examined closely.

Provenance: this Rondina Huma Small Jar with Potshard Designs is from the collection of a client from Vermont

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

TAGS: Contemporary Pottery, Hopi Pueblo, Rondina Huma, Katsina