Pre-Columbian, Gulf coast of Mexico, Veracruz culture, ca. 500 to 700 CE. A large figural incensario, made of multiple pieces of hand-modeled pottery, with fascinating iconography. The figure is seated on a conical base, leaning forward, with his or her small hands placed on the lower thighs. The head, which is relatively large for the body, tilts slightly downward; the eyes are closed, the mouth open. The figure wears a huge pectoral, giant round earrings that seem to drag down the ears with their weight, and a large, multi-tiered headdress, that forms the top of the incensario and appears crowned by feathers. Around the mouth, on the headdress, shoulders, and pectoral is a thick black pigment, chapapote, that is common to Veracruz artwork and is made from petroleum-rich deposits local to the region. On the back, the figure wears two horizontal, fin-like projections that jut out from the rounded back of the vessel. Size: 8.6" L x 8" W x 14.4" H (21.8 cm x 20.3 cm x 36.6 cm)

A cylindrical spout sticks up from one side of the bowl, while a rounded handle rises from the back center of the bowl, perhaps meant to allow a worshipper to carry it.

Excavations near the town of Remojadas have revealed two types of impressive, detailed pottery figures: the Sonrientes, the joyous "smiling faces" depicting people of all ages and sexes, and figures like this one, more serious, often adult females, with elaborate costumes, themes, and sometimes props that all seem to point towards religious or political ceremonies. These figures are frequently found with the bodies smashed into pieces and the heads largely intact - they were ritually destroyed as burial offerings.

What is the meaning of this particular fabulous vessel? Much of the religious practice of this culture and others in Mesoamerica involved shamans/priests entering an altered mental state, often through the use of strong alcohol or hallucinogenic drugs. Once in that trance-like state, they would become someone different. The closed eyes and downward tilted head of the figure suggest that this is a depiction of a religious trance.

Provenance: Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, acquired prior to 1970

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#122149

The incensario has been repaired from multiple pieces, with areas of restoration on one arm, on the headdress, and on the two "fins" that project from the back sides.