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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Art of Panama : Cocle Terracotta Globular Jar with a Lid
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Cocle Terracotta Globular Jar with a Lid - PF.4034
Origin: Cocle, Panama
Circa: 500
AD
to 1000
AD
Dimensions:
5.5" (14.0cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Style: Tonosi
Medium: Terracotta
$8,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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Archaeological excavations in the Cocle Province
located in Central Panama have revealed that an
ancient civilization once inhabited these lands.
The findings suggested that the so-called Cocle
culture arose around 500 A.D. and lasted until
about 1000 A.D. Although their dating is roughly
contemporaneous with the Diquis culture to the
north in modern day Costa Rica, the art they left
behind suggests that they were a unique,
independent civilization. Cocle art, which
consists primarily of unslipped or buff slipped
pottery and terracotta sculptures, is
distinguished by their polychrome hues and
lively asymmetrical motifs which often include
animal themes.
During the middle period of Panamanian
ceramics known as the Tonosi style (ca. 500
A.D.) globular and semi-globular jars made their
appearance. Short- to- moderate necks, slightly
flared rims, characterize them and an open
bottomed bowl placed above the jar, acting as a
lid. Why a certain type of pottery developed is
unknown. A vessel of a specific shape may have
been needed to hold substances pertaining to
funeral ceremonies. Or, it may simply be due to a
demand by customers, particularly women who
needed a vessel of a particular shape and size
for their household.
The designs on this adorable jar present an
intricate pattern corresponding to the structure
of the object. The wide middle body is
accentuated by a series of rectangles with a
black border, containing within each an inner
rectangle in red, filled by two, three pointed
designs that are mirror images of one another.
The effect is of lengthening, stretching outwards
as if the very clay itself is expanding. The lid,
which is like a bowl in miniature and may have
been used as a cup; composed of arches or
semicircles connected by a vertical line at the
bottom. The center elongated rectangle is
dominated by a circle in red, which, when the
whole object is seen from the side, unites the top
portion with the red of the base. The tightly
woven painting is quite floral in nature,
reminding one of an exotic plant or a bud about
to bloom. The skill of the artist has transformed
an object to mean something beyond its
utilitarian function, allowing our imagination to
run free and picture a scene of floral beauty in a
tropical land.
- (PF.4034)
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