Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Tarascan culture, ca. 1450 to 1520 CE. A fine ensemble of 3 pottery pipes all boasting vibrant hues of orange-red. All presenting conical stems, each of the ancient vessels features a tapered lip, a flat, flared heel, and a funnel-shaped bowl flanked by a pair of pointed embellishments at its foot. A slender strip of clay wraps around the bowl and adorns the top of each stem, with both ends stopping halfway down the body. The smallest pipe is additionally embellished by 4 radiating striations of applied clay on its heel. Size of largest: 8.5" L x 1.875" W (21.6 cm x 4.8 cm)

Smoking pipes played an important role in Mesoamerican society. In addition to tobacco, and often prior to it, we know from ethnohistorical accounts that people smoked a variety of other plants, including dogwood, juniper, sumac, and bearberry. These pipes were not just made for the simple act of smoking; scholars have posited that they also had a ritualistic purpose.

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Springdale, Arkansas, USA, acquired between the 1950s and 1960s

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#163575

Losses to lips of each. Largest has had heel reattached with break line visible and chips to bowl. Second largest repaired from 3 pieces with break lines visible and chips to bowl. Smallest has had stem and stummel reattached with break lines visible and restoration to left side of heel and rim of bowl. All have expected scratches and abrasions, commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, all are nice with lovely earthen deposits throughout.