Lot 305
Large Casas Grandes Polychrome Jar - Paired Avanyu & Stick Figure
Large Casas Grandes Polychrome Jar - Paired Avanyu & Stick Figure
Starting Bid: $4,500
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Pre-Columbian, northern Mexico, Casas Grandes., ca. 1100 - 1350 CE. A large and exceptional Ramos Polychrome jar, hand-built by coiling and scraping, with a globular body, short neck, and everted rim. The cream ground is decorated in red and black with a program of considerable iconographic complexity — among the finest figural compositions we have encountered in this ceramic tradition. Two Avanyu dominate the composition — the horned or plumed water serpent, a pan-Southwestern deity whose sinuous body carries the force of lightning, storm, and the movement of water between worlds. The serpents are rendered with characteristic confidence, their bodies wrapping the vessel in continuous, dynamic movement. A second major figure appears in the register: an abstract human rendered in profile in red and black stick form, surrounded by lightning, mountain, and wing motifs. The figure reads as a priest or shaman caught in ritual act, the surrounding imagery marking him as an intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds. Completing the program, parrot beak elements appear across the surface — a recurring motif in Casas Grandes ceramics that references the living macaws and parrots kept and traded at Paquimé, creatures of profound symbolic and economic importance to the culture. Size: 11.5" W x 10" H (29.2 cm x 25.4 cm)
The Mimbres on the northern side of the border traded extensively with the peoples of Casas Grandes. This jar shows many elements that were incorporated in the pottery designs of the Mimbres. The usage of stick-figure humans, parrots and even the Avanyu (Awanyu) are found on Mimbres bowls.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection acquired at Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, ex-private Scottsdale, AZ collection
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Item #
202456
- Condition: Jar intact, small chip to rim, a few areas of paint touch up.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $749 | $25 |
| $750 | $1,499 | $50 |
| $1,500 | $2,999 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $7,499 | $250 |
| $7,500 | $14,999 | $500 |
| $15,000 + | $1,000 |