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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Art of Costa Rica : Ceramic Bowl With Anthropomorphic Legs
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Ceramic Bowl With Anthropomorphic Legs - PF.3134
Origin: Costa Rica (Guanacaste)
Circa: 500
AD
to 800
AD
Dimensions:
4.75" (12.1cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Terracotta
$5,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Painted in lustrous black and red on a yellowish
background, two faces stare at us on either side
of the interior of this bowl. These faces have
square, stylized mouths with wide noses and
partially depicted oval eyes. The faces most
probably symbolize great mythological deities.
Encircling the top band are dot motifs that may
not resemble anything to us, but to the ancient
Costa Ricans, dots represented seeds and
fertility. Depicted in the center of the bowl is a
black circle which is surrounded by alternating
red, black and cream circles. This circle
decoration and the circles depicted on the
foreheads of the anthropomorhpic legs may have
been rich with symbolism and cosmological
beliefs. The anthropomorphic legs contain
ceramic balls inside. We can assume that these
ceramic balls were rattled during rituals by a
shaman or chieftan. This brightly decorated
bowl was most probably placed among other
sacred items on an altar during rituals. Although
the precise purpose and meaning remains
unknown, the inherent energy of this work of art
penetrates deeper into our psyches and creates a
new awareness of our own relationship with the
ancient past.
- (PF.3134)
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