This is a very creative oval box by Russell Sanchez.  His recent work is a modern take on historic San Ildefonso pottery.  This box is oval in shape and fully designed.  One one side there is a plant design with clouds and an inset piece of turquoise.  The opposite side has rain designs etched into the clay.  The shape of the imagery matches the flow of the vessel.  There are four bands of hematite hei-shi beads.  So, why hematite?  Russell has begun to use it in his recent pieces for several reasons. There is a traditional aspect in that women wear hematite bracelets when they do certain traditional dances at the Pueblo.  There is also hematite content in the clay slips use on the pottery.  Russell also notes that when he is able to fire his pieces to a gunmetal appearance, the hematite captures the shine and also gives them a contemporary appearance.  The box has a bear lid, which is sculptural in appearance.  The back ridge is carved and the sides are etched with a bird on one side (with turquoise and a hematite eye) and a heartline on the other side.  There is an additional band of hematite inset into the top of the lid!  The bear has turquoise eyes.  The inside of the box is slipped with mica.  The box and the lid are both signed, “Russell”.  In terms of the oval shape, it is a style seen at San Ildefonso beginning in the 1920s.  I included a photo of an oval box by Juanita Gonzales from the 1930s.  This jar is a wonderful revival of a historic shape!

Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past