Sanchez, Russell – Black-and-Red Bear with Medallions

5.5"long x 3"h

$ 5,800.00

Russell Sanchez continues to be one of the true innovators in Pueblo pottery.  Each piece is perfectly coil built, stone polished and etched.  This bear is one of his classic shapes.  The bear is fully polished with a deep red clay slip for the two medallions.  Russell has brought back the deep red clay slip which was used at San Ildefonso in the 1920’s and 30’s.  It is an extraordinary coloration!  One medallion has a cougar and the other an elk.  However, it the overall color of the piece, which is polished with a black mica clay, which is extraordinary.  Russell said that he was inspired by the use of the micaceous clay on utilitarian vessels and how he could use it to better match his highly polished surfaces.  The result is a black stone polished micaceous surface which has a high shine and a color that somehow ranges from gray to black to almost a blue, depending on the light!  It is quite exceptional!  The bear also has a heartline, which is symbolic of the bears and their symbolism for good luck.  The black jet inlay around each medallion was made by the Calabasa family of Santo Domingo.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay.  Stunning!

Click here to read: Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past