**Originally Listed At $1500**

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 150 BCE to 250 CE. An attractive pottery olla featuring a traditional squash form with a broad body comprised of 8 vertical cactus paddles. Surmounted by a narrow neck and flared spout, the 8 paddles are positioned upright, as though protruding from a bowl, each adorned with a vertical rib. Remains of a dotted negative resist design can be seen along the jar's shoulder. This vessel is a classic case of art imitating life, as the indigenous of Mexico used certain species of cacti for food as well as to make beverages with hallucinogenic properties. In this example, the potter suggests that mescal, a term for the roasted preparation of this cactus as well as the fermented beverage produced by it, fills this vessel - awaiting the user's thirst! Size: 11.1" Diameter x 9.4" H (28.2 cm x 23.9 cm)

Colima, located on Mexico's southwestern coast, was during this time part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts -- 3 to 20 meters deep -- that were dug vertically or near vertically through the volcanic tuff that makes up the geology of the region. The base of the shaft would open into one or more horizontal chambers with a low ceiling. These shafts were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and seem to have been used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. Vessels like this one were placed in the tombs in order to hold offerings.

Provenance: private Charlotte, North Carolina, USA collection; ex-Bonhams & Butterfield, San Francisco, California, USA, "SoMa Estate Auction," July 23, 2006, part of lot 5336 (1 of 2)

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#179786

Professionally repaired and restored with break line visible at neck, but the rest all done very well and difficult to notice, even with close examination. Some light surface wear as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent presentation with liberal remains of negative resist decoration and rich earthen deposits on interior. Old collection labels on underside of base.