Lot 55B
Native American, Mississippian culture, Bell Plain type, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A quietly powerful Bell Plain pottery jar with a globular body and short flaring neck, distinguished by four subtle applied nodes at the shoulder, its dark, fire-clouded surface and unadorned form emphasizing the refined restraint and functional elegance characteristic of Mississippian ceramic traditions. The vessel is hand-built from tempered clay and finished with a smooth, burnished surface, its softly asymmetrical rim and gentle contours bearing the marks of skilled but intimate craftsmanship. The quartet of nodes encircling the shoulder may have served both as tactile embellishments and as symbolic or clan-related markers, a feature seen across Bell Plain wares associated with domestic and ceremonial use. Size: 6.5" Diameter x 6.8" H (16.5 cm x 17.3 cm)
Bell Plain ceramics, widely distributed throughout the Mississippi River Valley and surrounding regions, are often linked to everyday utility yet reveal a sophisticated aesthetic grounded in proportion, balance, and surface treatment. The darkened areas of the body reflect firing conditions within an open or reduced atmosphere kiln, producing the characteristic mottled patina prized by collectors today.
This example carries notable provenance, formerly in the collection of William J. Seever (1860-1947), curator of the Missouri Historical Society and an early dealer in Native American artifacts. It is purportedly excavated from Cross County, Arkansas, likely from the Jones, Stanley, or Fortune Mounds, sites associated with the broader Mississippian cultural horizon and its complex mound-building societies. A compelling and honest example, this jar speaks not through ornament, but through form, touch, and history - a vessel shaped by hand and time, carrying the quiet authority of its ancient origins.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA Collection; ex-private Denver, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private New York, USA collection; ex-William J. Seever (1860-1947, curator of the Missouri Historical Society and an Indian artifact dealer), St. Louis, Missouri, USA; purportedly found in Cross County, Arkansas, USA in the Jones, Stanley, or Fortune Mounds
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#202178
- Condition: Area of loss to rim and weathering to surface with nicks and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, very nice with scattered earthen deposits. Old collection labels on neck and base.
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