It was a particular passion of the artists of
Ancient Costa Rica to depict animals in ceramic
art. They relished in details of realism, where
clay imitates the appearance and texture of
feathers, skin or scales. A perfect example is
seen in this superb vessel. The surface is
composed of bosses of nearly equal size, placed
around the middle section, head and tail to
simulate alligator scutes. To the touch the
surface texture is amazingly like the reptile's
tough, scaly body. When seen from the front the
appearance is quite frightening, with its horned
crest and mouth gaping wide exposing two rows
of sharp teeth and the dark cavern of the vessel's
interior. Considerable skill was required to give
the eyes such expression, using a sharp
instrument with confidence and dexterity. The
upper chimney shape has a top band of inscribed
designs. A series of circles placed equidistant are
intersected by triangles grouped in a pyramid
shape. The effect is of houses or huts in a row
with the sun or moon rising above them. For
centuries the alligator was regarded as a deity,
which the people of a village both feared and
revered. The artist of this fascinating vessel has
succeeded in showing the alligator in both its
realistic and mythical roles- slithering along a
swampy bank, and also of grand proportions
larger than life.HT. 27.3cm(10 3/4IN): L.
50.8cm(20IN)
- (PF.4203)
|
