Hopi Pueblo Pottery Dish By Alton Komalestewa

ca. 1997

1.75" H x 6.25" D

Hand Coiled in a Red Clay with Carved Geometric Design

From a Private Colorado Collection

In Very Good Condition

Alton Komalestewa is a contemporary Native American potter of Hopi-Tewa heritage). Born in 1959 at Hopi, he is a great-grandson of the legendary Hopi potter Nampeyo of Hano through her son William Komalestewa. Despite this family connection to iconic Hopi pottery, Alton did not learn the craft during his childhood at Hopi.

He learned pottery-making as an adult from his mother-in-law, the renowned Santa Clara potter Helen Shupla. She taught him her signature style of creating melon jars (or melon bowls) with distinctive undulating, repoussé (pushed-out) ribs that give the vessels a ribbed, pumpkin-like appearance. Alton adapted this technique using traditional Hopi clays, often producing pieces in red, sienna, or black finishes. His work blends Santa Clara influences with Hopi materials and aesthetics, resulting in thin-walled, highly burnished pottery.