Mesoamer

H: 4.75”  W: 2.75”  D: 1.75” | FREE SHIPPING

This Protoclassic (circa 200BCE – 200CE) ceramic painted figurine of an ovoid snail was fashioned as a vessel with a wide large spout on top. Many early Jalisco ceramics were utilitarian and used for cooking, carrying water or storing seeds. The size and shape of this piece suggest it was made to hold liquids. Pieces like this were often decorated with applied painted designs that faded because they were not fired after painting. In contrast to the rest of Mesoamerica which had complex urban centers, areas of habitation in West Mexico were small, especially in the Colima Jalisco-Nayarit area. Because these areas had been abandoned for centuries, utilitarian objects like this were rarely found whole and required their fragments to be assembled and restored. This piece is in very good condition with cracks and paint losses and may have expected repairs at its spout.