Pre-Columbian, Northern Mexico, Paquime / Casas Grandes, ca. 1150 to 1450 CE. A classic figural ceramic vessel with a bulbous, gourd-shaped body and a curved, convex head rising from the slightly flared rim. The head has coffee-bean-shaped eyes, a thin, pointed nose, and a small, puckered, oval-shaped mouth. Complex stepped and swirled patterns in black and red are painted over the cream-colored base of the vessel. A series of black and red polka dots on the top of the head give the figure a whimsical look. Size: 5.7" W x 7.85" H (14.5 cm x 19.9 cm)

The decoration style, with its fine lines, belongs to the Ramos Polychrome group, which represents the pinnacle of achievement for Casas Grandes ceramics. Casas Grandes is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and was a hugely important intermediary - in terms of trade, art, and culture - between the empires of Mesoamerica and the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) of the US Southwest.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex John Ohara collection, acquired 1960s to 1970s

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#129657

Intact, with nice manganese deposits on surface, and a great deal of pigment remaining.