Lot 59
Native American, Southeastern United States, Caddo culture, Mississippian period, ca. 900 to 1600 CE. A finely proportioned Caddo blackware water bottle distinguished by its rounded body, tall neck, and quiet surface decoration. The vessel is formed from well-refined clay and fired to a deep charcoal tone, typical of Mississippian-period Caddo ceramics, with a softly burnished surface that catches light without gloss. Incised linear designs descend from the shoulder in narrow vertical groupings, carefully cut before firing. The lines are deliberate and evenly spaced, lending structure to the otherwise smooth body and subtly guiding the eye around the vessel. These restrained motifs likely held symbolic meaning, possibly referencing water, order, or cosmological ideas central to Mississippian belief systems. Size: 7.6" Diameter x 11.4" H (19.3 cm x 29 cm)
Water bottles of this form were practical containers used for storing and pouring liquids, yet they also carried ceremonial significance. Among Caddo communities, such vessels were frequently placed in burial contexts, suggesting roles tied to ritual, status, or remembrance. Balanced in shape and understated in decoration, this bottle reflects the Caddo tradition of ceramic refinement, where precision, material control, and quiet elegance take precedence over excess.
Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection; ex-private New York, USA collection, acquired in February 2017 from a private seller
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#201104
- Condition: Repaired with infill along visible break lines. Some chipping to rim and nicks and abrasions to surface, commensurate with age. Good remaining incised decoration and scattered earthen deposits.
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