Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A beautiful redware vessel of an overall gourd-like form with four peyote open blossoms in relief adorning the shoulder, a diminuitive cylindrical neck and dramatically flared rim, above a hemispheric lower body. The peyote blossom is of course associated with drug use, which we believe was ritually practiced in Colima by shamans. Perhaps this bowl graced the tomb of such an individual or held an offering of the plant. So stunning and replete with cultural associations. Size: 11.5" in diameter x 8.5" H (29.2 cm x 21.6 cm)
Colima, located on Mexico's southwestern coast, was during this time part of the shaft tomb culture, along with neighbors to the north in Jalisco and Nayarit. In this culture, the dead were buried down shafts -- 3 to 20 meters deep -- that were dug vertically or near vertically through the volcanic tuff that makes up the geology of the region. The base of the shaft would open into one or more horizontal chambers with a low ceiling. These shafts were almost always dug beneath a dwelling, probably a family home, and seem to have been used as family mausoleums, housing the remains of many related individuals. Vessels like this one were placed in the tombs in order to hold offerings.
Provenance: collection of the late Alfred E. Stendahl, Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
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#126351
Condition
Chips to rim. Pressure fissure on base. Normal surface wear commensurate with age. Old inventory label on underside. Nice root marks.