San Ildefonso Red Sgraffito Lidded Jar ]SOLD]

When Russell Sanchez delivered this lidded jar to us, he said he had been in the blackware stage so long that he decided to make a red vessel, and here it is.  The tall neck jar is in honor of his great aunt Rose Gonzales who was well known for making tall neck jars.  That is the only similarity between the jars of Rose Gonzales and this one by Russell.  The low shoulder of the jar features an Avanyu wrapped around the vessel, carved in sgraffito style.  A beautiful Kingman turquoise cab serves as the eye of the Avanyu.

The upper part of the neck of the jar is slipped in green clay.  The green and red slips are separated by three rows of very fine hieshe imbedded into the clay.  The pottery lid has a red base, then a row of hieshe, a green pedestal and a matte beige natural clay bear carrying a beautiful rich blue Kingman turquoise cab on its back.  The lid and the concave base both bear the name Russell.  His signature dots embedded into the clay appear on the green slip of the lid and on the top of the red neck on the jar.

Condition: new

Recommended Reading: Art of Clay: Timeless Pottery of the Southwest by Lee Cohen

Provenance: from the artist