Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Tairona region, ca. 1000 to 1550 CE. A blackware vessel with a tall, wide central spout on a zoomorphic base of four stout animorphic legs ending in paws. An anthropomorphic/zoomorphic head (perhaps representing a cacique or shaman) looks upward; the body presents arms bent at the sides and it wears a large headdress and a necklace. A small, globular spout at the other end matches the shape of the feet. It is rare to find one with four feet like this. Size: 5.5" L x 9.5" W x 8" H (14 cm x 24.1 cm x 20.3 cm)

Who is the figure depicted? A shaman? A lord? It is not clear if these cacique figures are meant to be real individuals or supernatural ancestors; many of them, like this one, have transformative animal elements. The Tairona lived in circular house platforms with areas of the houses divided for labor by gender. Ceramic manufacture seems to have been the realm of the women in the household, and small burnishing stones used for smoothing the surface of pottery prior to firing have been found in their areas. Effigy jars like this one were made specifically to be placed into tombs.

Provenance: Ex-John Smith Collection, Roswell, GA

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#119679

Tiny chip to the smaller spout and signs of expected age wear with some scratches to surface overall as well as some earthy encrustations.