Tony Da is one of the great innovative names in Pueblo pottery.  He had a very short career which spanned from 1967-82.  At his first art show at Gallup Ceremonials in 1967, he not only won blue ribbons for each piece, but they added new categories for his innovative art in clay.  This is a large jar and one of his few melon jars. The piece is fully polished, and there are 17 swirling ribs. After the jar was fired, the neck was two-toned sienna.  There are three inset rows of shell hei-shi beads.  There is also a single inset piece of turquoise near the base.  Tony’s early pieces often relied on form and simplicity, while his later work became more complicated.  The jar has a fluidity of form and color.  It is signed on the bottom, “DA”.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, repair.  Definitely a classic of his pottery style!

“People often approach me and ask why they don’t see much of my pottery today. The simple truth is that I originally started as a painter, and working with pottery came later, quite by accident. Abstract design such as geometric and parallel lines have always been intriguing and have held a strange fascination for me. Perhaps this also explains why speculation about time, space, and man’s position in the universe has always been a preoccupation of mine. I only can wish my work will remain in the future as a cultural testimony to these times.””  Tony Da, Spoken Through Clay