100 BC - 300
Pottery with burnished red slip
Overall: 13.3 x 15.9 x 19.2 cm (5 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 7 9/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gruener 1990.199
Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo were avid collectors of ancient Nayarit art.
After about 200 BC, West Mexican chieftains gained in authority, their new status reflected in shaft tombs that shelter not only their remains but also lavish offerings, including sculptural ceramics. Many of the ceramics may refer to the crucial activities of a chief’s life, such as marriage, feasting, and war. The meaning of this unusual bowl—a head whose gaping mouth serves as the aperture—is unknown.
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