Description:

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A beautiful Colima redware vessel presenting a gadrooned squash or melon-shaped body supported by three avian legs, each bird positioned upward and perhaps feasting upon the melon or gourd vessel body with beaks pierced through the flesh, their visages with nicely delineated eyes. Together the trio of birds 'carries' the ribbed vessel with their tailfeathers resolving in pointed termini. The sizeable vessel is enveloped in a rich red slip and covered with amazing manganese deposits! Size: 8.5" W x 6.375" H (21.6 cm x 16.2 cm)

In addition to this vessel's impressive form, its iconography is very symbolic. Squashes and fruits symbolized fertility and abundance. Moreover, art imitates life in this ceramic vessel, as the indigenous of Mexico used hollowed gourds for storing and serving food and drink. In addition, in the Pre-Columbian world, birds were understood as sky animals that served as messengers between humankind and the deities of the celestial realm.

Provenance: ex Leonard Auctions; ex Dixon, Illinois, USA estate collected before 2000

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#162740

  • Condition: One leg is repaired with visible break lines. Otherwise, vessel is very good overall with light surface wear. Surface is covered with wonderful deposits.

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April 22, 2021 10:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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