San Ildefonso Pueblo Pottery Jewel [SOLD]

I doubt there is anyone who is not aware of just how talented Russell Sanchez is as an artist.  He has been compared to other potters of earlier periods but his work is not like any others.  He combines designs and vessel shapes of traditional Tewa Pueblos and enhances those shapes with slips and designs not traditionally used.

This Southwest Indian Pottery jar is a vessel shape seen in works by other San Ildefonso Pueblo potters such as Maria Martinez and Rose Gonzales, but the comparison to these famous matriarch potters ends there.  Russell has inscribed the Avanyu (water serpent) design in sgraffito style, added green slip to the neck, wrapped three rows of shell and turquoise hieshe around the neck, placed a turquoise cab as the eye of the Avanyu and added a bear perched on top of the lid.  A beautiful burnish to the vessel and a perfect high-temperature firing completed the art masterpiece.

Condition: new

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

Provenance: from the artist