This is one of the few 64 rib melon bowls by Nancy Youngblood. The bowl has 64 even ribs, each deeply and evenly carved into the clay. She does not make many of the 64 rib pieces and in the past 20 years, we have only had one other! One of the visually dynamic aspects to this piece is not only the number of ribs, but how close together they are on the bowl!  Here they are very deeply carved and each rib is fully polished.  Nancy has a particular polishing stone which allows her to polish deep on the sides of the each rib.  Consider as well that the polishing on this piece takes an extraordinary amount of time.  Each rib has two “sides”to be polished and the surface area of the piece is about double its size!  Typically for her 64 rib pieces she does not create a lid, as it is possible to chip the very thin edges to of the ribs right as the mouth.  However, here she has created a lid which fits perfectly!  The top of the lid is fully polished and is a signature form for her work.  The bowl is amazing when held, as with the depth of the ribs, it almost feels as if it is floating in your hands!  Nancy has won numerous awards for her melon bowls and this is undoubtedly a classic of her style!