Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Chupicuaro, ca. 500 BCE to 300 CE. A wonderful hand-built ceramic bowl with an oscillating rim that rest on three hollow legs. The body is rounded with a red ground and cream-colored motifs of linear and cross patterns - representative of a cross-section of the hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus. The thick rim and body bulge slightly outward in four areas. The legs point out from the body with upturned feet. At the top are openings and the legs probably once contained small clay balls and functioned as rattles. Size: 6.25" W x 4" H (15.9 cm x 10.2 cm)

Chupicuaro society is well known for its sophisticated ceramic tradition featuring human effigies and food-service vessels of stunning aesthetic appeal such as this example. The feast was of utmost importance to supply food for the living as an integral part of social politics and also to provide sustenance for the soul's journey to the underworld. Beyond being objects for daily use, Chupicuaro ceramics were artistic achievements in their own right - elegant forms with boldly painted decoration typically in their signature deep red and cream.

Provenance: ex-private Adeon Gallery, Chicago, about 1975

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#162679

Old inventory number on base. Age commensurate nicks and surface abrasions. Legs do not contain rattles. Otherwise, intact and excellent.