Sanchez, Russell – Polychrome Jar with Six Bears, Stars, and 80 Inset Stones
$ 6,200.00
This is a classic polychrome jar by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators and revivalists in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil-built, stone-polished, and etched. This is an elegant shape with a sharp shoulder and inner-fluted rim. The inner rim of the jar is carved in an undulating manner, which is technically difficult. The inner rim is slipped with mica. The outer rim is polished a deep red. The body of the jar is polished white, and there are six bears etched into the clay. Above the bear are etched stars. The jar has inset coral on the rim, turquoise in each star, and coral for the eyes of each bear and turquoise in the center of each bear! There are a total of 80 stones inset on this jar. There are three additional rows inset of shell hei-shi beads. The contrast of the deep red, the white clay, and the sparkle of the mica is striking on this piece! His deep red clay is another recent addition to his clay art, starting around 2005. As Russell continues to innovate from historic designs, he says, “Tradition means moving forward and adding to it. You keep moving forward. If we stayed stagnant, we would no longer exist.” The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Russell”. It is exciting to see how this imagery is not new, but Russell’s reinterpretation of it both modernizes and revives.
In stock
This is a classic polychrome jar by Russell Sanchez. He continues to be one of the true innovators and revivalists in Pueblo pottery. Each piece is perfectly coil-built, stone-polished, and etched. This is an elegant shape with a sharp shoulder and inner-fluted rim. The inner rim of the jar is carved in an undulating manner, which is technically difficult. The inner rim is slipped with mica. The outer rim is polished a deep red. The body of the jar is polished white, and there are six bears etched into the clay. Above the bear are etched stars. The jar has inset coral on the rim, turquoise in each star, and coral for the eyes of each bear and turquoise in the center of each bear! There are a total of 80 stones inset on this jar. There are three additional rows inset of shell hei-shi beads. The contrast of the deep red, the white clay, and the sparkle of the mica is striking on this piece! His deep red clay is another recent addition to his clay art, starting around 2005. As Russell continues to innovate from historic designs, he says, “Tradition means moving forward and adding to it. You keep moving forward. If we stayed stagnant we would no longer exist.” The jar is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Russell”. It is exciting to see how this imagery is not new but Russell’s reinterpretation of it both modernizes and revives.
