Lot 0120F

Superb Colima Pottery Redware Turtle Vessel - Rare Form

Similar Sale History

Sold

Rare Colima Redware Vessel - Conjoined Dogs: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A hand-built redware pottery sculpture of an incredibly rare form composed of two emaciated canines that are conjoined a

2021Rare Colima Redware Vessel - Conjoined DogsSee Sold Price

Sold

Colima Redware Effigy Vessel - Conjoined Dogs: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A hand-built redware pottery sculpture of an incredibly rare form composed of two emaciated canines that are conjoined a

2022Colima Redware Effigy Vessel - Conjoined DogsSee Sold Price

Sold

West Mexico Colima Redware Turtle: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An absolutely stunning example of West Mexican pottery from this dynamic and flourishing artistic tradition. This is a vessel in the form of

2016West Mexico Colima Redware TurtleSee Sold Price

Sold

Rare / Large Colima Redware Vessel - Mace Head Form: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A hand-built and highly-burnished pottery vessel of a large form with a rounded base, a wide, tapering body with two projecting elements, and

2018Rare / Large Colima Redware Vessel - Mace Head FormSee Sold Price

Sold

Rare Colima Redware Vessel, ex-Arte Primitivo: **First Time At Auction** Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A fascinating and rare pottery vessel featuring a rectangular cuboid form with an ovoid spout that rises from one s

2023Rare Colima Redware Vessel, ex-Arte PrimitivoSee Sold Price

Sold

Superb Colima Redware Pottery Acrobat Vessel: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima culture, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A fabulous burnished redware vessel depicting a male acrobat arching in a backbend position, his arms and legs forming the legs of th

2018Superb Colima Redware Pottery Acrobat VesselSee Sold Price

Sold

Colima Pottery Jaguar Vessel - Rare Type: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. I love this guy! A hollow pottery vessel in the form of a jaguar with a large conical spout on its back. The jaguar has an open, snarling mou

2016Colima Pottery Jaguar Vessel - Rare TypeSee Sold Price

Sold

Colima Pottery Redware Dog - Ready To Eat!: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A hollow ceramic vessel in the form of a very portly Colima dog, one of the most famous of the classes of West Mexican shaft tomb culture art

2018Colima Pottery Redware Dog - Ready To Eat!See Sold Price

Sold

Pre-Columbian Colima Ehecatl Form Vessel: Ancient pre-Columbian, Colima, Mexican, circa 100 BCE to 250 CE, ceramic pottery redware vessel in the form of the head of Ehecatl, the wind deity, wearing a hat flanked by jutting elements. 6.25" H x

2023Pre-Columbian Colima Ehecatl Form VesselSee Sold Price

Sold

Rare Colima Pottery Vessel Perched Bird, Envelope Form: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 200 BCE/CE. Rare pottery vessel in "envelope" form. Thin pouring jar with slightly flared rim with red slipped exterior decorated on each side with square incis

2016Rare Colima Pottery Vessel Perched Bird, Envelope FormSee Sold Price

Sold

Pre-Columbian Colima Redware Head Form Vessel: Ancient Pre-Columbian, Colima, Mexican Ceramic Pottery Redware Vessel, circa 100 BCE to 250 CE, in the form of a head with rectangular ears and donning a headdress with incised geometric decoration, t

2024Pre-Columbian Colima Redware Head Form VesselSee Sold Price

Sold

Pre-Columbian Colima Redware Figural Vessel: Ancient Pre-Columbian, Colima, Mexican Ceramic Pottery Redware Vessel, circa 100 BCE to 250 CE, in the form of a hunchbacked infant figure holding a cup and a rattle. 11.25" H x 10" W x 8" D. Provenan

2024Pre-Columbian Colima Redware Figural VesselSee Sold Price

Sold

Lot of Pre-Columbian Figural Pottery: Lot consisting of Pre-Columbian style figural pottery, including a Colima style redware vessel in the form of a dog (6 3/4" H x 5 1/2" W x 10 1/4" L); a vase in the form of a standing old woman, arms

2024Lot of Pre-Columbian Figural PotterySee Sold Price

Sold

Colima Redware Pottery Bird Vessel, Ex Arte Primitivo: **First Time At Auction** Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima culture, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A charming pottery vessel in the form of a swallow mid-flight with wings widely spread and head lifted at a

2023Colima Redware Pottery Bird Vessel, Ex Arte PrimitivoSee Sold Price

Sold

Pre-Columbian Colima Seated Figural Vessel: 3rd century BC-3rd century AD. A substantial redware pottery vessel in the form of a seated male figure with long torso, short legs bent forward with collars to the ankles and stumped feet; both arms

2018Pre-Columbian Colima Seated Figural VesselSee Sold Price

Sold

Adorable Colima Redware Baby Bird Vessel: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 200 BCE to 200 CE. An adorable redware pottery vessel in the form of an endearing round-bottomed, baby bird with its head raised an beak open, calling for food

2016Adorable Colima Redware Baby Bird VesselSee Sold Price

Recommended Items

Roman Holyland Redware Jar - Rare Form: Roman Era, Holy Land, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 4th century CE. A hand-built redware pottery jar of rare form with a constricted rim that forms a spout on each end. The circular body is covered in b

16 hrs LeftRoman Holyland Redware Jar - Rare Form

$340

Colima Redware Effigy Vessel, Plump Puppy: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A beautifully constructed, hand-built redware dog vessel of a charming form that exhibits a playful nature and smooth, highly burnished surfa

16 hrs LeftColima Redware Effigy Vessel, Plump Puppy

$1,500

Four Nayarit, Colima, & Michoacan Pottery Vessels: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Nayarit; Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE; Michoacan, ca. 1350 to 1521 CE. A fine ensemble of West Mexican pottery vessels: a Nayarit Tumbas de Tiro 2-tiered jar, a Colima squ

16 hrs LeftFour Nayarit, Colima, & Michoacan Pottery Vessels

$600

Pre-Columbian style Colima redware acrobat vessel: Pre-Columbian style Colima redware acrobat vessel, Possibly of the period (c. 200 BCE-500 CE), red terracotta pottery, modeled as a male figure in a back arch position, hands and feet firmly planted o

May 17, 2024Pre-Columbian style Colima redware acrobat vessel

$250

Mexican Colima Style Pumpkin-form Earthenware Vessel: Mexican Colima Style Pumpkin-form Earthenware Vessel Lobed tripod jar form having three turtle effigy feet (one detached) and two turtles on the shoulders, red slip decoration and simulated manganese

May 19, 2024Mexican Colima Style Pumpkin-form Earthenware Vessel

$100

Two Maya Pottery Poison Bottles w/ Animals: Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A set of 2 hand-built pottery poison bottles, each of spherical form, with the first jar depicting a turtle,

16 hrs LeftTwo Maya Pottery Poison Bottles w/ Animals

$500

Three Ancient Colima Pottery Tripod Vessels: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A set of 3 hand-built, stone-burnished, and red-hued pottery bowls, each of a tripodal design - one exhibiting rattle legs, one with a band o

16 hrs LeftThree Ancient Colima Pottery Tripod Vessels

$440

Casas Grandes Terracotta Vessel Turtle Form: Pre-Columbian, northern Mexico, Casas Grandes, ca. 1000 to 1400 CE. An adorable terracotta vessel in the form of a turtle with a domed shell and swollen underside as he spreads his 4 nubbin legs and e

16 hrs LeftCasas Grandes Terracotta Vessel Turtle Form

$400

Casas Grandes Ramos Polychrome Olla - Weasel / Bear: Pre-Columbian, Northern Mexico, Chihuahua region, Casas Grandes, Ramos Polychrome type, ca. 1200 to 1450 CE. A hand-built pottery vessel of charming form that depicts the head of a zoomorphic creature

16 hrs LeftCasas Grandes Ramos Polychrome Olla - Weasel / Bear

$740

Huge Casas Grandes Ramos Polychrome Pottery Jar: Pre-Columbian, Northern Mexico, Chihuahua region, Casas Grandes, Ramos Polychrome type, ca. 1200 to 1450 CE. A beautiful pottery vessel of tiered form with a carinated spherical body, a narrower upper

16 hrs LeftHuge Casas Grandes Ramos Polychrome Pottery Jar

$900

Chupicuaro Polychrome Figural Vessel: Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Chupicuaro, ca. 500 to 100 BCE. An intriguing pottery vessel of figural form depicting a massive head - with slit-form eyes, tab-shaped ears, and nose - resting atop a red-

16 hrs LeftChupicuaro Polychrome Figural Vessel

$640

Casas Grandes Polychrome Effigy Vessel, Human Face: Pre-Columbian, Northern Mexico, Casas Grandes, Ramos style, ca. 1100 to 1450 CE. A pottery effigy vessel in the form of a person, coil formed and painted in polychrome red, black, and creamy white hue

16 hrs LeftCasas Grandes Polychrome Effigy Vessel, Human Face

$400

Moche IV Pottery Stirrup Vessel: Pre-Columbian, North Coast of Peru, Moche, Phase IV, ca. 450 to 700 CE. A hand-built pottery stirrup vessel of spherical form, its surfaces finely burnished with a smoothed stone. The beige exterior s

16 hrs LeftMoche IV Pottery Stirrup Vessel

$400

Ancient Holy Land Pottery Articles, 7: Group of Seven Ancient Holy Land Pottery Articles, comprising: three oil lamps, two water jugs, a diminutive vase, and a large spouted terracotta pitcher. Largest: 9.25" H x 8" W x 5.75" D. Provenance

May 19, 2024Ancient Holy Land Pottery Articles, 7

$100

Pair of Slender Cypriot Pottery Vessels - Bilbils: Ancient Near East, Cyprus, late Cypriot I, ca. 1600 to 1050 BCE. A set of 2 pottery vessels called bilbils, each with a flared foot, an apple-shaped body, a curving handle, and a flared rim atop a sle

16 hrs LeftPair of Slender Cypriot Pottery Vessels - Bilbils

$340

Chinese Yixing Zisha Teapot with Dragon Motif: Chinese Yixing Zisha Teapot, decorated with clouds and dragons about the body, the lid with an articulated dragon head and cloud-form finial, impressed three character mark to reverse of cover. 4.5" H

Jun 05, 2024Chinese Yixing Zisha Teapot with Dragon Motif

$100

Superb Colima Pottery Redware Turtle Vessel - Rare Form

Item Details

Description

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, Protoclassic period, ca. 100 BCE to 250 CE. A beautiful hand-built pottery turtle vessel with a highly-burnished surface, lustrous red slip coating, and wonderful zoomorphic features. The reptilian creature is comprised of a planar base, an overarching shell with a central crest and finely-incised linear motifs, a projecting cylindrical spout, a conical tail, and a roughly-triangular head with a thin mouth, a pair of petite eyes, and several pecked textural spots. Two indented areas along the shell's outer periphery suggest this vessel may have been transported using a series of tied ropes which would have fit inside. Typical Colima turtles are depicted standing on all four legs, making this vessel one of exceptional rarity since its legs are recessed within its shell cavity. Size: 10.75" L x 7.25" W x 4.125" H (27.3 cm x 18.4 cm x 10.5 cm).

In the Pre-Columbian world, turtle imagery represented the watery surface separating the sky from the underworld. In addition to its earth metaphor, turtles were symbols of virility as well as fertility. Terracotta sculptural representations of turtles are among the many animal effigies created by ancient artisans, though they are among some of the rarest zoomorphic effigy vessels inspired by the natural world of Western Mexico.

For a stylistically-similar example standing on four legs, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2007.345.5: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/319065

A stylistically-similar example standing on four legs hammered for $9,375 at Sotheby's, New York "African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art Including Property from the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation" Auction (May 13, 2011, lot 159): http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/african-oceanic-and-precolumbian-art-n08749/lot.159.html

Provenance: private Las Vegas collection via family descent. Collected between 1950 and 1965.

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#136554

Condition

Surface wear and minor abrasions commensurate with age as expected, very minor nicks to peripheries, base, and spout, with light roughness across most surfaces, and fading to slip coloration, otherwise intact and near-choice. Light earthen deposits within recessed areas, and wonderful manganese deposits throughout.

Buyer's Premium

24.5%

Superb Colima Pottery Redware Turtle Vessel - Rare Form

Name: Superb Colima Pottery Redware Turtle Vessel - Rare Form
SKU: 62925296
Price: 1200 USD
Availability: InStock

Estimate $2,000 - $3,000

See Sold Price

Starting Price $1,200

Sell a Similar Item

6 bidders are watching this item.

Shipping & Pickup Options

Item located in Louisville, CO, us

See Policy for Shipping

Payment

Artemis Gallery

TOP RATED

Louisville, CO, United States

1,301 Reviews

7,908 Followers