Description:

Pre-Columbian, Central America, Panama, Gran Cocle culture, ca. 800 to 1000 CE. A fascinating, beautifully preserved figural vessel, made of an earthy red ceramic with thick black lines forming motifs around the body. The body is a flattened sphere, with the figure's arms pressed along the shoulder and terminating in six claws that are painted at their ends. Above the body is the neck, which bulges outward, forming a head with a heart-shaped, inset face and coffee bean eyes. Fascinating abstract geometric forms, painted with bold black strokes, surround the rest of the body. Size: 6.35" W x 6.15" H (16.1 cm x 15.6 cm)

To the ancient Panamanians, these exquisitely painted motifs would have conjured a known mythic or Shamanic being. The composition of this design is comprised of these fantastical life forms in combination with geometric bands of red and black. Geometric design elements such as these were imbued with powerful symbolism, although the cognitive intent of these has largely been forgotten or is no longer known.

Provenance: ex-Blackburn collection, Hawaii, USA

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#148874

  • Condition: Intact, with light wear on the surface commensurate with age. Nice remaining pigment.

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October 31, 2019 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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