Lot 2
Pre-Columbian, Central Mexico, Tlatilco culture, ca. 1200 to 800 BCE. This elegant cream-colored ceramic bowl is a strikingly rare example of early Mesoamerican ceramic artistry, known as a tecomate - a gourd-shaped vessel whose form recalls one of humanity's earliest natural containers. Created by a skilled potter of the Tlatilco culture, this bowl was hand-built using a coil technique and formed from a kaolin-like clay, prized for its smooth texture and light hue. The surface was then coated in a pale slip and carefully burnished to a gentle sheen, giving it a soft luminosity that enhances the form's organic simplicity. The vessel's shape is hemispherical and subtly segmented, echoing the natural ridges of its calabash gourd inspiration. Its thin walls and symmetrical contour reflect a high level of craftsmanship, with careful attention given to balance and proportion. These bowls were among the earliest ceramic forms produced in ancient Mesoamerica, and their enduring design carried deep symbolic and practical meaning. Size: 8.8" Diameter x 5.1" H (22.4 cm x 13 cm)
In the Tlatilco region of the Basin of Mexico, such vessels were commonly used in community feasts, where food and drink were shared during rituals that bound families and lineages together. Many were later interred in burials, placed alongside the deceased as treasured offerings - vessels that once nourished the living now serving to guide the dead into the afterlife.
This example belongs to a tradition closely linked with the Olmec sphere of influence, evident in its refined execution and cultural role. Though unadorned, its purity of form and finish speak volumes about the aesthetic values and ceremonial importance of early Central Mexican communities.
Provenance: private Fort Collins, Colorado, USA collection, acquired via inheritance
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#194983
- Condition: One stable hairline fissure extending down from rim, as well as a few small nicks and chips with abrasions to interior. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nice root marks and light earthen deposits in areas.
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