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
A front view of one of the supporting figures is shown in Fig. 206.
Although certainly not intended to represent a human figure with
accuracy, it is furnished with a crown, as are the figures in gold and
stone, and is covered with devices that seem to refer to costume. The
features are extremely grotesque, the nose resembling the beak of a bird
and the mouth being a mere ridge, without indications of the lips. The
face and the chest are painted with curious devices in red. The funnel
and body of the vase are decorated with subjects that seem to have no
connection with the plastic features and no relation to one another in
subject matter. The upper panel, surrounded by a framework of black and
red lines, contains the figure of an alligator much simplified and
taking a peculiar position on account of the shape of the space into
which it is crowded. The figure occupying the body panel is that of a
very strangely conventionalized two tailed monkey and is enframed by a
wide red line. On the shoulder of the vessel is an ornament consisting
of a number of angular hooks attached to a straight line. The effect is
like that of fretwork, but the figure is probably derived from a
modified animal form. The paste of this vase is sandy and is reddish
gray near the surface and quite dark within the mass. The modeling is
thoroughly well done, and the surface, which is of a somber, yellowish
gray tint, is highly polished. The figures are drawn chiefly in black,
red being confined to broad lines and areas. De Zeltner published
photographic illustrations of a similar vase with his pamphlet on the
graves of Chiriqui. That specimen is now, I believe, in the hands of
Prof. O. C. Marsh, of New Haven. It corresponds very closely in nearly
every respect with the example here described.
[Illustration: Fig. 207. Large vase with decorations in red and
black--¼.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account