Part 11

I will now pass over the many hundreds of pieces with designs too conventional to furnish a clew to the original animal forms, yet still suggesting their existence, to those in which the life forms can be traced with ease or in which they are delineated with a much nearer approach to nature. The manner of introducing life forms into the panels of the encircling zones is illustrated in the following figures. In the vase shown in Fig. 176 there are four panels, two short and two long, separated by vertical bands. The short panels are black, but the long ones are occupied by rudely drawn figures of alligators, some of which are very curiously abbreviated. At the right hand in the cut we have simply the head with its strong recurved jaws and notched crest. The principal figure at the left is a two headed alligator, the body being straight and supplied with two feet. The ground finish of the decorated band is in the light gray tint and the alligator figures and vertical septa now appear in that color. The ground of the remainder of the surface is red. It will be seen that in this case the panel outlines are rather elaborate and that the neck and base are striped in a way to enhance considerably the beauty of the vessel. Additional examples of animal devices are given in Figs. 177 and 178. The significance of the curious figure seen in the first is not easily determined, although we do not hesitate to assign to it an animal origin. There is a suggestion of two sitting figures placed back to back between the upright serrate lines. In the second piece, which is from another vessel, the space between the serrate lines is occupied by a sketchy figure which, in the phraseology of heraldry, may be likened to a monkey rampant.

In Figs. 179 and 180 I present very interesting examples in which the arched panels are used. In the first the compartments are occupied by a favorite Chiriquian motive, which consists of groups of lines curled up at one end like unfolding fronds. The whole group represents a very highly conventionalized animal figure (Fig. 179_a_). The devices occupying the upright panels take the place of the animal heads shown in several preceding figures. In the arched panels shown in Fig. 180 we have the frond-like motive treated in a manner to make it pretty certain that a reptilian form is intended. These figures are fully and systematically presented in a succeeding section.

Many of these globular vases are unusually handsome. The polished ground is red or is varied with stripes or panels of the whitish slip. Over this ground the whole surface was painted black and then the lost color was employed to work out the design. The coiled figures were produced by drawing the lines in the lost color. The interspaces were then roughly gone over with the same pigment in such a way as to leave the figures inclosed within rather uneven black borders. The presentation of these ornaments brings me naturally to the consideration of a number of very puzzling forms which, if taken alone, must inevitably be referred to vegetal originals. In Fig. 181 we have a handsomely shaped vessel, finished in a polished red ground and decorated in the usual manner. In the main zone--here rather high up on the vase--there is a series of upright figures resembling stalks or stems with scroll-like branches springing from the sides. The stalks are probably the septa of the panels and the leaves are the usual reptilian symbols. About the widest part of the body of the vase is a band of ornament probably representing an animal.

A still more remarkable ornament is shown in Fig. 182. The decorated zone of the vessel from which this is taken is divided into three panels, each of which contains stem-like figures terminating in flower shaped heads and uniting in a most remarkable way animal derivatives and vegetal forms. I am inclined to the view that here, as in the preceding case, the resemblance to a vegetal growth is purely adventitious.

In striking contrast with the globular forms just given are the angular outlines presented in the following illustrations. The first is flattened above, the body being much expanded horizontally and having a sharp peripheral angle. Upon the shoulder, occupying the places of and probably standing for animal heads, are two cruciform nodes, about which the scroll-like decorations of the upper surface are coiled. We see by this that in the mind of the potter a correlation existed between the plastic and the painted devices even in these conventional decorations. The second illustration represents a neatly finished bottle, with upright sides and conical base, upon the shoulder of which minute animal figures are perched. The painted design is nearly obliterated. The third example is unique. The sides are upright and the bottom is flat. The ornament occupies the entire surface and is divided into two sections or zones by a red band about the middle.

Complex and compound forms are comparatively rare. A double vessel is shown in Fig. 186, and a second, varying somewhat from the first in shape and ornamentation, is presented in the succeeding figure. Vessels of this form are always small, but are neatly constructed and finished with much care. The strong handles are more or less arched and connect the inner margins of the two lips. The bodies of the twin cups are closely joined, but the two compartments are not connected.

It seems impossible to present a satisfactory series of the plastic features characteristic of this group of products without extending this paper inordinately. Handles, legs, and life forms are varied and interesting; they are not so boldly treated, however, as in some of the other groups. This is a result perhaps of the unusual degree of polish given to all parts of the surface preparatory to the application of designs in color, the processes tending to subdue and simplify the salient features.

With reference to life forms it has already been pointed out that the painted figures generally imitate or typify animal forms, and it is important to note that these figures are in very many cases used as auxiliaries to plastic features in the development of particular conceptions. This is shown to advantage in Fig. 188, which illustrates a small, well formed bottle, having two large human-like heads attached to opposite sides of the body. There are no other plastic features, but the heads are supplied with arms and legs, rudely expressed in black lines, which are really the interspaces of the lines drawn in the lost color. These painted parts occupy the zone usually devoted to decoration and, as will be seen by reference to the cut, resemble closely the radiate or meandered figures seen in vases of the class shown in Fig. 167. The arms are joined to the lower part of the head and extend upward to the neck of the vessel, where they terminate in rudely suggested fingers. Rising to the right and left of the arms are legs terminating as do the arms. A double row of dots is carried along each member, and thus we have a suggestion of the relation of the dots and dotted lines, seen in more highly conventional forms, to the markings of the creature represented or symbolized. The grotesque faces are covered with lines which follow the forms as if imitating markings upon the skin. Another example, equally suggestive, also employing an animal form, is shown in Fig. 189. It is a cup, mounted upon three feet, which has attached to one side the head of a peccary, modeled with more than usual skill. The ears of the animal appear at the sides of the vessel and the tail is opposite the head. The lines and dots seen upon the head are carried along the sides of the vessel as far as the ears and undoubtedly represent the markings of the animal's skin. Behind the ears the markings are different in character and purely geometric. A view of the under side of the vessel is shown in Fig. 190 and illustrates a treatment characteristic of the tripod vases of this class. In other cases, instead of fixing the head of the animal upon one side and other members of the body upon other sides, two heads, or two complete creatures, are placed opposite each other.

I present next (Fig. 191) a piece in which there is no recognizable relationship between the painted and the plastic features. It is a small tripod cup with upright walls, upon which two characteristic Chiriquian human figures, male and female, are fixed. The painted figures upon the sides of the vessel are geometric, but refer possibly to some character or attribute of the modeled figures or are the survivals of figures belonging to vessels of this shape or style before the life forms were associated with them. The legs, however, so far as can be determined, are not related to the human motive, as they are modeled and painted to imitate the heads of alligators.

I shall now present a few shallow bowls or pans mounted upon tripods. They vary in dimensions from a few inches in diameter to a foot or more and are strongly made, symmetrically formed, and neatly finished. The polished surfaces are mainly red. The designs were executed in the usual way in the lost color, upon a black ground, and are confined chiefly to the exterior surface. The alligator is the favorite motive, and in a number of cases is quite graphically, although still conventionally, rendered. As in the preceding examples, the animal heads represented in the legs do not always correspond to the creatures embodied in the painted decoration.

In Fig. 192 we have a representative example of moderate size and ordinary finish. The decorated band is divided into panels, three of which are long and contain figures of the alligator. The other three are short and are filled with conventional devices, related perhaps to that animal. The legs are apparently intended to resemble the heads of alligators. A large piece, nearly twelve inches in diameter, is very similar in shape and decoration, but the legs resemble puma heads.

The specimen shown in Fig. 193 is extremely well made and differs decidedly from the preceding. The sides are upright and the lip is recurved and thick. The legs represent some animal form with thick body, eyes at the top, and a tail-like appendage below that turns up and connects with the side of the body. The form of the bowl is symmetrical and the surface carefully finished and polished. The exterior design is divided into panels, as in the preceding case; the figures are simple and geometric. The inside of the upright portion of the wall is decorated with vertical lines and bands and the bottom is covered with an octopus-like figure, now partially obliterated.

The remarkable example shown in Fig. 194 illustrates a number of the points suggested in the preceding pages. It is a large bottle of the usual contour and color, mounted upon three high legs, which are slit on the inner surface and contain movable balls of clay. Two handles, placed at opposite sides of the neck, represent human or anthropomorphic figures. These figures and the neck and base of the vessel were finished in the red slip. The broad zone extending from the neck to some distance below the periphery was finished in the gray slip, with the exception of the frames of two panels beneath the handles and the foundation lines of two large figures of alligators, which are in red. The surface, when thus treated, was well polished and then a coat of black was laid upon it, and upon this details of the designs were drawn in the lost color. The figures of the alligators exhibit some striking peculiarities. The hooked snout, the hanging jaw, the row of dotted notches extending along the back, and especially the general curve of the body are worthy of attention. These features are seen to better advantage in the series of vases presented in the following section.

Belonging to this group are many whistles, needlecases, and rattles, all of which are described under separate headings upon subsequent pages.

_The alligator group._--The group of ware to which I give the above name is perhaps the most interesting in the collection, although numerically inferior to some of those already presented. Its decoration is of a very striking character and may serve to throw much light upon the origin and evolution of certain linear devices, as it illustrates with more than usual clearness the processes of modification.

I will first present a representative series of the vessels, in order that they may in a measure tell their own story; yet it is not possible without the direct aid of a full series of the objects themselves to convey a clear and comprehensive notion of the metamorphoses through which the forms and decorations pass.

This group, like that last described, is composed chiefly of bottle shaped vases with globular bodies and short, wide necks; but there is no danger of confusion. By placing a series from each group side by side a number of marked differences may be noted. In the lost color group the neck is decided in form, the body is usually somewhat flattened above and is distinctly conical below, and the prevailing color is a rich dark red. In the alligator group the body is more nearly globular and the curves of the whole outline are more gentle; the prevailing color is a light yellowish gray. The reds and the blacks, which are used chiefly in the figures, are confined to rather limited areas.

Besides the bottle shaped vases, there is a limited series of the usual forms, and a few pieces exhibit unique features. The management of life forms is especially instructive. Handles are rare and legs are usually not of especial interest, as they are plain cones or at most but rude imitations of the legs of animals. Shallow vessels are invariably mounted upon tripods and a few of the deeper forms are so equipped. Usually the sizes are rather small; but we occasionally observe a bottle having the capacity of a gallon or more. The materials do not differ greatly from those employed in other groups of ware. The paste is fine grained and light in color, sometimes reddish near the surface, and where quite thick is darker within the mass. A slip of light yellowish hue was in most cases applied to the entire surface. A red ochery pigment was in some instances used in finishing the lip and the base of the body, and occasionally the red pigment was applied as a base, a kind of sketch foundation for the decoration proper. For example, when the alligator was to appear upon the side of the vessel, the principal forms were traced in broad lines of the red color, and these were polished down with the slips. When the polishing process was complete, the details of the figure, were drawn in black and in cases partially in red. Black was the chief delineating color, the red having been confined to broad areas, to outlines, and to the enframing of panels. In execution, therefore, there is a decided contrast with the preceding group, and it may be added that there is an equally strong contrast in both treatment and subject matter of the ornament. The motives are derived almost wholly from life forms and retain for the most part features that suggest their origin. The subjects are chiefly reptilian, the alligator appearing in a majority of cases, and hence the name of the group.

I present first a few examples of plain bottles which have no extraneous plastic features. The decorations are arranged in two ways, in zones about the upper part of the body or in circular areas, generally four in number, equidistantly placed about the shoulder of the vessel.

An example of the first style is given in Fig. 195, which represents the largest piece in this group of ware. The form is symmetrical and very pleasing to the eye. The surface is not very highly polished and shows the marks of the polishing implement distinctly over the entire surface. Two black lines encircle the flat upper surface of the rim and the outer margin is red. The neck and a narrow zone at the upper part of the body are finished in a cream colored slip and the body below this is red. The narrow band of ornament occupies the lower margin of the light colored zone and consists of five encircling lines in black, three of which are above and two below a band one-half an inch wide, in which five much simplified figures of alligators are drawn. Besides these figures there are two vertical septum-like bands. Each of these consists of three lines bordered by dots, which probably have some relationship with the alligator. The decorated zone of these vessels is divided in various ways into panels, some of which are triangular, while others are rectangular or arched. The latter form is seen in Fig. 196. Five arches, having no border line above, are occupied by abbreviated alligator devices. The number of compartments ranges in other specimens from two to a dozen or more. They are filled in with various devices, to be described in detail further on.

A very peculiar form of decoration consists of circular or rosette-like ornaments, such as are shown in Fig. 197. Four slightly relieved nodes an inch or more in diameter are placed upon the shoulder of the vessel. These are encircled by red lines which inclose two black lines each, and within these are peculiar devices in black. Other vessels furnish figures of greatly diversified characters, most of which evidently refer to life forms. A full series of these is given in a subsequent section of this paper, where the origin of the nodes and the manner in which the painted figures probably became associated with them will be fully set forth.

In the series of outlines presented in Fig. 198, we have some of the varieties of form and decoration of both the ordinary bottles and the plainer tripod cups. Each example presents certain features of particular interest. The handsome little bottle (_d_) with the plastic ornament about the neck and the zone of geometric ornament in black and red lines is unique. The double necked bottle is an unusual form and its decoration consists of a strangely conceived representation of the alligator. The tripod vases are worthy of close attention: the piece illustrated in _b_ has a zone of ornament separated into three parts by vertical spaces, each part being enframed in black. The sections are divided by red lines into three panels, each of which contains a conventional figure of an alligator in black. The piece shown in _a_ is unique in its decoration. Four angular fret links in black are inclosed in as many panels, bordered by red and separated by blank spaces. These fret links, as I shall show further on, probably refer to or symbolize the alligator. The legs of the cups are all conical and are marked with short transverse lines in black, which have a direct reference to the markings of the animal to which the vase was consecrated. A careful study of the preceding illustrations leads to the conclusion that in the mind of the potters there was a close and important relationship between the vessel and the reptilian forms embodied in both plastic and surface embellishment. The series of examples which follow have a bearing upon this point. I shall begin with that in which the creature is most literally rendered.

In Fig. 199 the whole conformation of the vessel is considerably modified through the attempt to perfect the likeness of the alligator, whose head, tail, and legs are graphically rendered. The body, head, and tail are covered with nodes, each of which is encircled by a black ring and has a black dot upon the apex. Dotted rings and short strokes of black occupy the interspaces. These devices represent the spines and scales of the creature's skin. The legs are marked with horizontal stripes and oval spaces at the top inclose three dots each. The general color of the vessel is a dark brown. This piece should be compared with the alligator whistle shown in Fig. 250.

A somewhat different treatment is shown in Fig. 200. Here the animal form has undergone considerable modification. There are but three legs--a concession to the conventional tripod--and the body exhibits, instead of the nodes and the markings of the creature's skin, two conventional drawings of the whole animal. Now, by higher and higher degrees of convention, we come to a long series of modified results which must be omitted for want of room. We find that the plastic features are gradually reduced until mere nodes appear where the head and the tail should be, and finally in the lower forms there remains but a blank panel or a painted device, as already shown in a preceding section. The painted devices are also reduced by degrees until all resemblance to nature is lost and geometric devices alone remain. I observe in this association of plastic and painted features a lack of the perfect consistency I had learned to expect in the work of primitive peoples. It is easy to see how, from painting the markings of the creature's skin upon the body of the vessel, the painter should come gradually to delineate parts of the creature or even the whole creature, but we should not expect him to paint a creature distinct in kind from that modeled, thus confusing or entirely separating the conceptions; this has been done, apparently, in the vase illustrated in Fig. 202, where the plastic form represents a puma and the painting upon the sides seems intended for an alligator. It will be seen from the figures given that the devices of the panels or sides do not necessarily represent the markings of the animal's body, as in Fig. 201, but that they may refer to the entire creature (Fig. 200) or even to what appears to be a totally distinct creature (Fig. 202).