Pedestal Dish
Artist/Maker
Gran Coclé
(Panama)
Dateca. 1100-1400
Mediumpottery and slip paint
DimensionsOverall: 7 5/8 x 9 1/4 in. (19.4 x 23.5 cm)
ClassificationsContainers
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stoetzer
Terms
Object number89.0082
DescriptionThis dish comes from the ceramic style known as Parita. The style is distinguished by the abandonment of purple pigments in favor of black, red, and orange coloring that arises naturally from the ceramics when they are fired. Parita is characterized by the use of large black bands along the borders or feet of the ceramics. The designs used within these dishes tend to be S-shaped, unlike the zigzags or V-shaped designs found in previous periods. The Parita culture created a distinctive figure combining an eel and a hammerhead shark, which can be seen on this dish, along with an S-shaped creature that appears to mix the taxonomic features of the animals mentioned above. This type of pottery is frequently found in mortuary features within the Coclé province, specifically in the Azuero Peninsula.On View
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