Sanchez, Russell – Polychrome Oval Jar with Bear and Cougar

4.5"long x 4.5"h

$ 5,200.00

This is a creative 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 jar has an oval shape which is indetned towards the mouth.  On one side there is a bear medallion that is polsihed white and carved into the clay.  It is surrounded by a band of turquoise hei-shi beads.  in the center of the bear is a piece of Morenci Turquoise.  Above the bear is an etched bear paw track.  Surronding the bear the area is polished black.  The sides of the jar are deeply carved and slipped red.  The opposite side has a cougare etched into a black medallion.  It also has a piece of Morenci turquoise inset into the center and is surrounded by turquoise hei-shi beads.  Above the cougar is a cougar track. The surrouding sides are polished white.  All the colors are derived from natural clays and inspired by historic San Ildefonso polychrome pottery (black/red/white), using many of the same clays!  The 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 bowl 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.