Helen Shupla is certainly most famous for her exceptional melon jars.  Her melon jars are the very traditional form with the ribs pushed out in the clay.  This melon jar is one of her classic shapes with a round body and a slight neck.  The neck was a later development in her pottery forms.  Each of the 18 ribs is pushed out into the clay.  She would do this by placing her fingers inside the bowl and pushing against the clay from both the inside and outside!  Can you see the slight angle to each section?  This is how she would turn her hand as she was pushing against the clay to create the separate ribs!  Interestingly, this jar has some of the deepest ribs I have seen in her work.  It creates a striking appearance.  The entire piece is fully polished and fired a glassy black.  It is signed on the bottom, “Helen Shupla”.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.