Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia: Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188Holmes, William Henry
History
Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia: Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188
Holmes, William Henry
Chiriquí (Panama : Province) -- Antiquities; Indian pottery -- Panama; Indians of Central America -- Panama
It will be seen that in a number of cases the legs are modeled to
represent animal forms. This feature is brought out more clearly in
succeeding figures. The creatures represented are often grotesque, as
seen in Figs. 94 and 95. The human form is rarely shown in a way to make
it clearly distinguishable from the figures of monkeys and other
animals. The armadillo is a favorite subject. An example of small
dimensions is illustrated in Fig. 96, in which this animal is given in
characteristic style, and a more pretentious piece is shown in Fig. 97.
The characteristics of the creature are very simply but graphically
expressed. In the first the hard ribbed and figured case is represented
by applied fillets and nodes, and in the other by incised lines. The
frog is also much used (Fig. 98). A rather remarkable conception is
illustrated in Fig. 99. Upon the front of each leg is a curious little
animal-like figure, to the front of which are bound two minute infantile
creatures. In the piece presented in Fig. 100, the legs are grotesque
heads, inverted, with wide open mouths and glaring eyes. The work upon
this vase is very superior.
[Illustration: Fig. 95. Cup with legs imitating a grotesque animal
form--½.]
[Illustration:
Fig. 96.
Fig. 97.
Cups with legs imitating the armadillo--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 98. Cup with frog shaped legs--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 99. Cup with legs imitating an animal and its
young--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 100. Cup supported by grotesque heads--½.]
The remarkable specimen illustrated in Fig. 101 is furnished with unique
supports. Two rudely modeled, semihuman, grotesque figures are affixed
to the under surface of the bowl, supporting it with their backs.
[Illustration: Fig. 101. Large cup supported by two grotesque
figures--⅓.]
[Illustration: Fig. 102. Cup with two animal heads attached to the
sides--¼.]
[Illustration: Fig. 103. Cup with two animal heads attached to the
sides--¼.]
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