Olmec Gadrooned Vessel, Las Bocas, Early Preclassic, circa 1200 - 900 BC

Lot Closed

December 4, 05:03 PM GMT

Estimate

20,000 - 30,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Property from an American Private Collection

Olmec Gadrooned Vessel, Las Bocas

Early Preclassic, circa 1200 - 900 BC

Diameter: 3 3/4 in (9.5 cm)

Arthur N. Seiff, New York, acquired by 1969
Sotheby's, New York, November 21, 1988, lot 120, consigned by the above
The Merrin Gallery, New York, acquired at the above auction
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1988

Julie Jones, Precolumbian Art in New York: Selections from Private Collections, New York, 1969, n.p., fig. 18

The carefully formed, thin-walled vessels of ancient central Mexico are known as tecomates, meaning gourds. Gourds were used as containers in pre-ceramic times, and the essential ribbed form is emulated on this small vessel. The lustrous creamy finish, achieved by burnishing a kaolin slip, is offset by the blush of orange firing clouds that occurred during the open pit firing. The transformation of an everyday container into an elegant harmonious form is a testament to the artistry of ancient ceramicists.

This bowl was included in the important exhibition of Pre-Columbian art at the Museum of Primitive Art in 1969, at which time the bowl was owned by the New York collector Arthur N. Seiff.