Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico / Valley of Mexico, Teotihuacan, ca. 100 to 900 CE. A ceramic cylinder vessel, black, with dramatic, openwork tripod legs and an ornate, abstract incised interlocking design around the exterior body. It appears to show a mythological animal with a large head covered in horns and feathers and a serpentine body, probably a representation of Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent god. The imagery was incised after the black slip paint was applied but before the vessel was fired. When originally made, cinnabar may have been spread over the incised lines to provide a reddish color. Size: 4.95" W x 5.85" H (12.6 cm x 14.9 cm)

Tripod vessels are a classic form from Teotihuacan, "The Place of the Gods" as the city was known by the Aztecs (its true name is lost to history). Artisans in Teotihuacan had an enormous influence, both through widespread trade during their own time and the stylistic legacy they left to their descendant cultures.

Provenance: collection of the late Alfred E. Stendahl, Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#126360

Legs have been reattached; bowl has been repaired from multiple pieces, with overpainting along repaired areas, mostly on the interior. Very nicely preserved motifs.