Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Guanajuato Valley, Chupicuaro, ca. 500 BCE to 300 CE. A fine, hand-built jar with a wide, rounded base, concave walls, a deep interior cavity, and a thick, flared rim with two pairs of suspension piercings. The entirety of this highly-burnished vessel is enveloped in a lustrous vermilion slip which imbues it with a signature Chupicuaro presentation. The exterior walls display a repeating motif of abstract, cream-hued cross motifs outlined in black - representative of a cross-section of the hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus - with each form separated by stepped lines in a diagonal orientation. A fabulous and skillfully-executed example from ancient western Mexico! Size: 6.875" W x 6.375" H (17.5 cm x 16.2 cm).
Chupicuaro society is well known for its sophisticated ceramic tradition featuring human effigies and food-service vessels of stunning aesthetic appeal such as this example. The feast was of utmost importance to supply food for the living as an integral part of social politics and also to provide sustenance for the soul's journey to the underworld. Beyond being objects for daily use, Chupicuaro ceramics were artistic achievements in their own right - elegant forms with boldly painted decoration typically in their signature deep red. The wide variety of vessel forms created by the Chupicuaro artisans points to the significance of the feast.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Mildred Kaplan collection, New York, New York, USA, founder of Arte Primitivo Gallery
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#137500
Condition
Small repair, perhaps ancient, to upper area of rim. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, very minor nicks to rim, body, and base, with some fading and overpainting to areas of pigmentation, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen and mineral deposits throughout.