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
of the vessel as far as the ears and undoubtedly represent the markings
of the animal’s skin. Behind the ears the markings are different in
character and purely geometric. A view of the under side of the vessel
is shown in Fig. 190 and illustrates a treatment characteristic of the
tripod vases of this class. In other cases, instead of fixing the head
of the animal upon one side and other members of the body upon other
sides, two heads, or two complete creatures, are placed opposite each
other.
[Illustration: Fig. 189. Vase modeled to represent a peccary--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 190. Under surface of vase shown in Fig. 189.]
[Illustration: Fig. 191. Small vessel with human figures in high
relief and geometric color decoration--½.]
I present next (Fig. 191) a piece in which there is no recognizable
relationship between the painted and the plastic features. It is a small
tripod cup with upright walls, upon which two characteristic Chiriquian
human figures, male and female, are fixed. The painted figures upon the
sides of the vessel are geometric, but refer possibly to some character
or attribute of the modeled figures or are the survivals of figures
belonging to vessels of this shape or style before the life forms were
associated with them. The legs, however, so far as can be determined,
are not related to the human motive, as they are modeled and painted to
imitate the heads of alligators.
I shall now present a few shallow bowls or pans mounted upon tripods.
They vary in dimensions from a few inches in diameter to a foot or more
and are strongly made, symmetrically formed, and neatly finished. The
polished surfaces are mainly red. The designs were executed in the usual
way in the lost color, upon a black ground, and are confined chiefly to
the exterior surface. The alligator is the favorite motive, and in a
number of cases is quite graphically, although still conventionally,
rendered. As in the preceding examples, the animal heads represented in
the legs do not always correspond to the creatures embodied in the
painted decoration.
[Illustration: Fig. 192. Tripod cup, with figures of the
alligator--½.]
In Fig. 192 we have a representative example of moderate size and
ordinary finish. The decorated band is divided into panels, three of
which are long and contain figures of the alligator. The other three are
short and are filled with conventional devices, related perhaps to that
animal. The legs are apparently intended to resemble the heads of
alligators. A large piece, nearly twelve inches in diameter, is very
similar in shape and decoration, but the legs resemble puma heads.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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