Sanchez, Russell – Polychrome Water Jar with Bear Lid

7.75"w x 10.75"h (w/ lid)

$ 18,000.00

This is water jar by Russell Sanchez is visually stunning in person!  It is a larger water jar shape with the round body and the fluted rim.  The coloration is part of what is so spectacular. The red is a very deep coloration and the same deep red as used in the 1920’s!  The black areas are a black micaceous clay which he has polished.  When the red or black areas are etched away, they leave exposed clay, which is tan in coloration. That creates the polychrome coloration, which are the same three tonalities used in early San Ildefonso pottery.  On a purely visual level the black mica, deep red clay and the tan are a visually dynamic combination.  For Russell, the shape becomes the canvas for further exploration of San Ildefonso imagery.  The bear lid symbolizes the strength of the bear in the fetishes and the red sides of the jar are then etched with imagery that has stylized birds separated by checkerboard bands. Of course, it is the melon swirl base, neck and lid which are the most impressive!  The ribs are carved at an  angle and fully polished. They seem to flow from the lid to the neck and the base keeping the jar visually in motion with the reflection of the light.  This jar pulls from such a rich context that there become many levels of interpretation and enjoyment.  There are additional bands of shell hei-shi beads which are subtle and don’t overwhelm the rest of the designs.  The jar is traditionally fired outside and it is signed in the clay on the bottom.

Russell Sanchez: Contemporizing the Pueblo Pottery Past