Part 9

The tripods shown in Figs. 125 and 126 are somewhat mutilated, but they present features of interest in the novel shapes and the unique animal forms with which the legs are embellished. Each leg is represented as a complete animal, whose back or breast supports the vessel and whose cylindrical nether extremity rests upon the ground. The head in the first example resembles an owl and in the second reminds one of some crustacean form. An additional specimen of considerable interest is shown in Fig. 127. It is a heavy tripod, having four independent mouths, all opening into one chamber. The shape is unsatisfactory, being heavy and unsymmetrical. The exterior surface has the usual scarified figures and the interspaces and the entire inner surface of the vessel are painted red and rather carefully polished.

_The handled group._--The series of vessels to which this name is given comprises a large number of pieces of unusually even characters. They are obtained from a pretty wide district to the north and west of David and occur in connection with other groups. They are notable for uniformity in size, shape, and finish and for the unmistakable evidences of use over fire which at least three-fourths of them show. With the exception of a few large caldrons, not yet assigned to a particular group, they are more like ordinary cooking vessels than any other group of Chiriquian ware. The size, however, is remarkably small, the average capacity being about a pint. Larger pieces contain a quart or three pints.

The body is usually much compressed vertically and is flattish above and more or less conical below, giving a very graceful contour. The surface is rather rudely polished and the painting is done with notable carelessness, as if the intended use were not favorable to the preservation of the ornament. By means of a heavy brush, red figures, consisting of splotches, stripes, arches, and encircling bands, were applied to the yellowish gray surface and sometimes, as indicated by a smeared appearance, were polished down with an implement. It does not seem that a slip of ordinary white clay was very generally used. In a few cases a grayish blue tint appears upon some of the wider spaces.

The handles are perhaps the most notable feature of this ware, and usually occur two to a vessel; rarely there is but one handle and in a few cases there are four. This group may be separated into at least four sections by the styles of handles. Vessels of the two more important sections have two handles each, which are placed vertically in one variety and horizontally in the other, reference being had to the position of the points of attachment. These differences of position have given rise to a marked difference in the shape of the orifice and of the lip. The handle is a simple loop, which in the one variety is placed as seen in Fig. 128 and in the other as in Fig. 132. In the latter case one end of the loop is fixed to the shoulder and the other end to the lip, which is uniformly prolonged at the contact and is also widened all around; the result is the curious winged outline shown in Fig. 133.

A third variety of handle is a single arch, which spans the orifice and is attached to opposite sides of the expanded lip. In a fourth variety the looped handles are replaced by the heads of animals, which are set upon the shoulder of the vase, as are similar features in other groups of ware.

A type specimen with the horizontal loop is shown in Fig. 128. The lip and a wide belt about the body are painted red and the shoulder is occupied by rudely executed arched strokes of the same color. A much less usual shape is given in Fig. 129, which exhibits some characters of contour that remind us of well known Grecian forms. Another novel variation from the type is seen in Fig. 130, in which the arch of each loop is divided by an upright piece. A neat incised ornament occupies the shoulder of this vessel and the remainder of the body is finished in pale red.

It will be observed that the handles are rarely wholly plain. Each loop is supplied with one or more rings or ring-like fillets, or with small nodes, generally near the most prominent part of the curve or arch. By the study of a large number of specimens I am able to trace these puzzling features to their origin. They are the representatives of life forms which were originally modeled in full detail and which are still so modeled in many cases. The nodes and like features are atrophied heads, hands, or feet, and in some cases are marked with indentations that refer to the eyes or to the fingers or toes, and the round fillets stand for the arms and legs of animals, or, if notched in peculiar ways, may be referred to other originals, such as the mouths of fishes or the spines of crabs. Examples could be given showing all stages of the progress of simplification.

In Fig. 131 I present a fine example of the horizontal loop, in which the opposite ends are supported by grotesque animal figures, applied, however, in a way not detrimental to the grace and simplicity of the vessel.

An example shown in Fig. 132 is of especial interest in this connection. The ornament upon the handle serves as a link between the realistic life form and the conventional nodes and fillets. In this case the node is supplied with eyes and a mouth, and the double roll of clay beneath is manifestly intended for the arms, the handle itself standing for the body. The loop is upright and joins the shoulder to the rim. The winged character produced by the expansion at the contact of handle and lip is shown to advantage in the top view (Fig. 133.) In some cases this expansion is so great as completely to hide the body of the vase when viewed from above.

Examples are outlined in Figs. 134 and 135 in which the life form is clearly defined. In the first we have a human-like figure, the face of which is entirely hidden by the hands. In the second we observe a curious little animal figure, with a long curved proboscis and a body covered with annular indentations. In general shape and in ornamentation these vases do not differ from the preceding. A remarkable piece, with two pairs of handles, is presented in Fig. 136. Grotesque figures are attached to the outer surface of the loops, one in each pair being placed in an inverted position. The two figures seen in the cut are simple, but those on the opposite pair of handles are compound, being double above the waist. The faces, hands, and feet of these figures are touched with red, and the lip and body of the vase are decorated with carelessly drawn stripes of red. In another case four plain handles are placed equidistantly about the neck of the vessel.

In a third variety the loop is omitted entirely, the animal figure taking its place upon the shoulder of the vase. This feature appears in the specimen given in Fig. 137 and represents the front part of a reptile, the head being hollow and containing a large movable pellet. This is a handsome piece, well finished, and decorated in the usual broad way.

A fourth variety is shown in Figs. 138 and 139, in which the handle spans the orifice as in an ordinary basket. The lip is flaring and is prolonged at the sides to meet the handle. In one case the outer surface of the handle is embellished with figures of frogs and serpents, or what seem to be intended for serpents, modeled in the round and rather imperfectly attached, and in the other with a pair of grotesque human figures set against the base of each end of the handle.

Typical vessels of this class are in many cases mounted upon tripods, but, for convenience of description, these are classed with the succeeding group, which consists mainly, if not entirely, of the same variety of ware.

To recapitulate, the striking characteristics of this group are the uniformity of size, shape, and handles, the rude finish and ruder ornamentation, and the very marked evidence of use over fire.

_The tripod group._--Closely related in most respects to the group of ware just described is the striking series of vessels here presented. At first glance the resemblances are not apparent, but a careful study renders it clear that the vessels proper correspond closely in both groups. The basins are for the most part made in the same heavy, rudely finished style, the decoration is almost equally rude, and the size and the evidence of use over fire are the same. The strong contrast in appearance is due mainly to the presence of tripod supports in this group. The legs, which constitute such a striking feature, are merely appendages to the bodies of vases already perfect, and are evidently an acquired feature suggested by some change in function or in the habits of the people. In this way we are able to account for the rather uncouth look observed in so many cases, the legs being too long and too heavy to please the cultured taste; yet in many cases the parts are so adjusted as to give an impression of firmness and strength, united with a goodly share of grace of line.

The legs are very generally modeled to represent animal forms. In a majority of cases the fish was chosen because, perhaps, its shape was suitable or because the fish bore some relation to the use to which the vessel was to be devoted. Lizards and mammals are also seen and the human form occasionally appears. In some cases the animal figure is attached to the upper part of the leg or is perched upon the hip, where that feature is pronounced. The body, or shaft, is hollow and contains pellets of clay, sometimes one only and again a dozen or more, and in order that these may be seen and heard variously shaped slits are cut in the sides or front of the legs. If the animal represented is a fish or lizard the entire body is modeled: the head is placed at the top, the under jaw or neck uniting with the body of the vessel; the tail rests upon the ground, and the fins or legs appear along the sides of the shaft. It should be observed that, while in Chiriqui the whole body of the creature is usually employed in forming the support, in Central America and Mexico the head alone is very generally used, the nose resting upon the ground. In less elaborate forms the legs are plain or have the merest hint of animal form in a node, a notched ridge, or a slightly modified extremity.

Handles are present in a majority of cases and as in the preceding group take the form of loops or represent the forms of animals. The loops are generally attached in a vertical position, connecting the shoulder with the lip of the vessel, and are plain round ropes of clay or consist of two or three cords twisted or plaited together. A few eccentric forms occur and are illustrated early in this section.

The animal shapes are often quite elaborate and appear to bear no relation to the creatures embodied in the legs of the vessel; neither does the position of the handles bear any uniform relation to the positions of the legs--another indication that the latter features are recent acquisitions, since features developed together are uniformly well adjusted.

The rim or lip is generally heavy and flaring, and the neck, which is short and pretty sharply constricted, is decorated with incised patterns and with various applied ornaments in relief. The body is graceful in outline and more or less conical below. As a rule the surface is uneven and but slightly polished and the figures in red are rudely executed, but in the more pretentious pieces much care has been exercised in finishing and painting. Most of the vessels have been used over the fire and still retain the sooty incrustations. This ware comes from a wide range of territory to the north and west of David.

The following illustrations represent some of the more important pieces and serve to give a partial idea of the range of form, size, and decoration.

I present, first, three vases of rather eccentric shapes, the basins of which are shallow and in two cases are flat bottomed. The handles are of unusual shapes, consisting of modifications of the lip, as seen in the illustrations (Figs. 140-142). Life elements are present in all cases in connection with the handles and legs where these are preserved, but they are very meager and so abbreviated as to be identified with difficulty. Incised markings at the ends of the handles represent hands or feet and eyes are affixed to the upper part of the legs. The ware is identical with that of the preceding group.

A representative specimen of the fish legged vessels is presented in Fig. 143. It is one of the most graceful forms in the series and is neatly finished and embellished, but is thoroughly blackened with soot. The handles are formed of twisted fillets or ropes of clay and a narrow, incised, rope-like band encircles the lower part of the neck. Set upon the neck and alternating with the handles are two scrolls neatly formed of small round ropes of clay. The fishes forming the legs are very simply treated. The mouth at the apex is formed by laying on an oblong loop of clay and the eyes are represented by two round pellets set into the soft clay of the head and indented with a slit that gives to them the exact effect of screwheads. A pair of fins--small incised or channeled cones--is placed at the sides of the head and another at the sides of the body. The cavity contains a single ball of clay and the slit is long and wide.

In other examples the fish form is much more elaborately modeled. The wide mouth exhibits a row of teeth and the body is well supplied with fins. The head in Fig. 144 reminds one forcibly of the catfish. The snout is furnished with two horn-like appendages; tooth-like features are formed by setting in pellets of clay, and the gills are indicated by a punctured excrescence at the side of the mouth. In other cases a high, sharp cone is set upon the middle of the head (Fig. 145). It is channeled down the sides, as if meant for a fin.

The process of modeling these heads was about as follows: The upper end of the leg--the head of the fish--was first rounded off, giving the general shape; then parallel incisions were made to represent the teeth, and around these a fillet of clay was laid, forming the lips, which were then channeled with a sharp tool. Nodes or flattened pellets of clay, representing the gills, snout, and eyes, were then laid on and finished with incision-like indentations. The handles consist of bird-like heads, with protruding eyes and long bills that curve downward and connect with the shoulder of the vase. The body is rudely spotted with red.

A large, uncouth specimen is shown in Fig. 146. The legs are ponderous and are not neatly adjusted to the vessel. A meander pattern of incised lines encircles the neck and the body is rudely decorated with broad red stripes.

There is a general consistency in the use of life forms which is worthy of notice. The fish and other creatures used, although variously conceived and treated, are never confused. When the fish is employed no features suggesting other animals appear and when the heads of other creatures occupy the upper extremity of the leg all the details refer to these creatures with uniform consistency. In Fig. 147 we have an unusually graceful shape, decorated about the neck with scrolls and indented fillets. The legs represent some reptilian form resembling a lizard. The head projects from the hip and is conventionally treated. A round fillet fixed at its middle point to the muzzle of the creature is turned back at the sides of the head and coiled to form the eyes. The forelegs are attached at the sides near the top and the recurved terminal point is encircled by rings that stand for the coiled tail.

There is little room for doubt as to the kind of creature represented in the legs of the vase given in Fig. 148. The head, legs, and general shape are characteristic of the lizard. The vessel is small, plain, and neatly finished. In Fig. 149 the legs of the vessel, otherwise quite plain, are surmounted by heads that seem to represent a dog or some like animal. A series of neat vertically placed scrolls formed of round fillets encircles the neck, and below these is a band in relief imitating a twisted cord.

A vase of unusually striking appearance is presented in Fig. 150. It is one of the largest tripods in the collection and is characterized by a high widely expanded lip and a long conical body and by legs of unusual size and conformation. Small animal figures are perched upon the projecting hips. The surface of the vessel is rudely finished and is much blackened by smoke about the upper part of the legs and the body.

A unique use of the animal form is illustrated in Fig. 151, which shows a large fragment of one of these tripods. The figure of an alligator, modeled with a great deal of spirit, is attached to the side of the vessel, resting partly upon the leg and extending upward obliquely to the lip. A similar figure upon the opposite side of the same vase is represented as grasping the form of a man or boy in its formidable looking jaws.

The alligator, rarely employed in this group of ware, is freely used in other groups and was probably a creature of importance in the mythology of Chiriqui.

In one case only, so far as I have seen, is the human form employed in the supports of these vessels, and in that case, as will be seen in Fig. 152, the result is extremely grotesque. The shape of the basin is good and the thick, rounded lip and most of the surface are carefully polished. A disconnected meander of incised lines encircles the rather high neck, and parts of the body and its attached features are painted red. As usual this color was applied along with the slip and in polishing has become much mixed up with it, giving a mottled effect. The handles take the form of curious human-appearing figures which sit against the constricted neck, their heads supporting the rim and their feet resting upon the shoulder of the vessel. In one case the hands are held tightly against the lower part of the face and in the other they are bound together against the chin by a serpent-like cord of clay. The hollow figures forming the legs of the vase are as grotesque as could well be imagined. There is no head whatever, and the outlandish features are placed upon the front of the upper part of the body. The arms and hands take the conventional position characteristic of the statuary of the isthmian states and the only traces of costume are bands about the wrists and a girdle encircling the lower part of the body.

I add, in Fig. 153, one more example, a large, full bodied vase, which, more decidedly perhaps than any of the foregoing, proclaims its relationship to the preceding group. If the three rather clumsy legs were knocked off there would remain a large beautifully shaped and finished vase, with a constricted but flaring rim not in any way distinguishable from those of the preceding group. The legs in this case are less perfectly adapted to the vessel than in the other examples, as if the potter, skillful in modeling the vessel, had only recently undertaken to add the tripod. The slit in the outer face of the leg is unusually wide and the inclosed ball is three-fourths of an inch in diameter. The most remarkable feature of this vessel is the pair of unique figures affixed to the upper surface of the body near the lip, and which would seem to be intended to represent semihuman monsters. The arms and legs are contorted and serpent-like in appearance and terminate in most cases in heads of serpents instead of in hands and feet. The attitude is expressive of agony or horror. It seems to me probable that, contrary to the rule in primitive art, these strange figures do not embody any well defined or serious conception, but are rather exhibitions of the fancy of the potter. They occupy small unpainted panels, which are finished in neat incised patterns. The remaining surface is a bright red.

It may be noted, in recapitulation, that these vases, although elaborately modeled and often well finished, are rudely decorated and very generally show use over fire; that the legs, though often graceful and well proportioned, are in many cases clumsily adjusted to the body, giving a decidedly unsatisfactory result as a whole. This ware was devoted to domestic uses, or, if otherwise, in all probability to the burning of incense. Animal forms are freely employed, but in a rather rude way. The fish form is more generally used than any other, and is in all cases embodied in the legs of the vessel, the head joining the body of the vessel and the tail resting upon the ground. These representations exhibit all grades of elaboration from the fairly well modeled to the merest suggestion of animal character--any one feature, as the mouth, the eye, the fins, or the tail, being alone a sufficient suggestion of the creature to satisfy the potter and keep alive the idea of the fish. Other animal forms are employed in modeling the legs, and exhibit equally varying degrees of elaboration, and it is worthy of especial note that creatures are not confused or confounded, so far as I can discover, at any stage of the simplifying process--that a fish is still purely a fish if nothing is left to represent it but a node or an incision. There is no apparent relationship between the animal forms forming the legs and those attached to the body or to the rim of the vessel.