Native American, southwestern United States, New Mexico, Pueblo II/Pueblo III (Anasazi) period, Tularosa, ca. 875 to 1050 CE. A charming, hand-built pottery vessel in the form of a seated duck with folded wings, painted with elaborate black-on-white decoration. The avian vessel presents a triangular body with a tubular neck, ovoid rim, and sturdy, ribbon-form handle that connects the neck to the body. A petite bird head projects from the neck opposite the handle and exhibits a double crest, annular eyes, and pointed beak. The surface is decorated with a mesmerizing program of abstract geometric designs including lozenges, triangles, lattice patterns, and stepped motifs. Size: 8.3" L x 5.1" W x 4.5" H (21.1 cm x 13 cm x 11.4 cm)
Pottery of this kind is some of the most important found in the ancient Southwest. The Chaco Project, the major excavations of Chaco Canyon (today a National Historical Park that is well worth a visit), recovered more of this pottery than any other style. Chaco was the center of the ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) culture, a vast city of monumental architecture, including massive stone Great Houses of multiple stories and kivas of all sizes. Roads from Chaco Canyon radiated to outlying settlements for hundreds of miles, and it seems to have been a religious, social, and trade hub for a vast region. Today many Native peoples in the Southwest connect their own histories to Chaco, seeing it as a stop along their sacred migrations.
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.
Provenance: private J. Hart Collection, Houston, Texas, USA, acquired in 1998; ex-Paul Shepard collection, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#167550
Condition
Collection label on base reads "GL 328 / TULAROSA B/W / RESERVE, NM / c. 1100 1250 AD." TL holes to base and inside of handle. Expected surface wear with some minor nicks to areas, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent. Impressively preserved with wonderful remaining pigments and no restoration.