Antonio Mateos (Mexican, 20th century). A wonderful barro brunido (burnished clay) polychrome pottery vessel signed "Antonio Mateos N. Tonala Mexico" beneath the imagery. The vessel possesses a near-spherical body with a short flared neck and a raised disc foot and is decorated with a battle scene featuring a mustachioed man dressed in black and white with a wide-brimmed hat riding a white horse and brandishing a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other, a man in uniform kneeling on bended knee and aiming a bayonet at the horse and rider, as well as a standing woman draped in long garments and holding an intimidating rifle on the opposite side of the vessel walls. The figures are set in a landscape with regional cacti and vegetation in the field. All is delineated in red, black, and white on an orange ground with a red neck adorned with black striations. Size: 7.75" in diameter x 8.125" H (19.7 cm x 20.6 cm)
Barro Brunido is among the oldest known, most labor-intensive pre-Hispanic pottery techniques, and though not glazed, the pottery presents with a beautiful polished finish due to burnishing.
Provenance: ex-private Moore collection, Denver, Colorado, USA, acquired prior to 1990
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#152511
Condition
Small surface chip to rim. Areas of touch up paint to the interior of the neck/rim. Signed "Antonio Mateos N. Tonala Mexico" beneath the imagery.