This is an exceptionally striking large polychrome plate 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 plate has a micaceous back and a black mica rim.  The rim has a checkerboard pattern in two rows.  One row is red and the other is black.  Each row is separated by a row of hematite hei-shi beads.  It is the center of the plate that is so spectacular! There is a large avanyu in the center of the piece.  It is fully polished white, then incised with the design.  The edges of the avanyu are slipped with red clay and the background area that is etched away is black clay. This style with the red outline was inspired by the black-and-red lines on the polychrome pottery of Maria Martinez & Popovi Da (see last photo).  Amazingly, all the design work is done BEFORE the piece is fired!  There are three “process” images in the photos showing the evolution of the design.  After the firing, the plate was inset with one large piece of turquoise for the eye and 117 small pieces of hematite on the head and back of the avanyu.  Do you see the little bear paw near the head of the avanyu? That is a signature design on Russell’s avanyu patterns and there is a small inset piece of hematite in the center.  The plate was traditionally fired. The clay colorations of black, red, and white are all seen in San Ildefonso pottery from the 1880s to about 1920.  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 plate is signed on the back 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.  Congrats to Russell who one the 2022 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Show!