Casas Grandes (Paquimé), Chihuahua, Mexico
Circa 1200 CE, Ramos Polychrome
Ceramic, slip, mineral pigment
Dimensions not recorded
Provenance: Private collection, Palos Verdes, CA. Not recovered from Federal or State land.
The Casas Grandes culture, centered at the site of Paquimé in the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico, reached its florescence between roughly 1200 and 1450 CE, developing a distinctive ceramic tradition characterized by bold geometric polychrome decoration in black and red on cream slip. Ramos Polychrome is among the most accomplished of the Casas Grandes ceramic types, distinguished by the precision of its painted geometry and the quality of its surface preparation. The macaw or parrot held a position of particular importance at Paquimé, where large-scale parrot breeding facilities have been excavated, connecting the bird to long-distance trade, ritual activity, and elite status.
This effigy vessel combines the globular olla form with a modeled parrot head spout at the shoulder, the beak open and the head surmounted by a coiled snake rendered in applied clay — an iconographic combination that places the piece within the ceremonial rather than utilitarian range of Casas Grandes production. The geometric decoration covers the body of the vessel with stepped, angular, and interlocking motifs in black and red, executed with the controlled line work characteristic of accomplished Ramos Polychrome painters. The vessel is intact with no visible restoration, a condition that is notable for ceramics of this age and type.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Casas Grandes (Paquimé), Chihuahua, Mexico
Circa 1200 CE, Ramos Polychrome
Ceramic, slip, mineral pigment
Dimensions not recorded
Provenance: Private collection, Palos Verdes, CA. Not recovered from Federal or State land.
The Casas Grandes culture, centered at the site of Paquimé in the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico, reached its florescence between roughly 1200 and 1450 CE, developing a distinctive ceramic tradition characterized by bold geometric polychrome decoration in black and red on cream slip. Ramos Polychrome is among the most accomplished of the Casas Grandes ceramic types, distinguished by the precision of its painted geometry and the quality of its surface preparation. The macaw or parrot held a position of particular importance at Paquimé, where large-scale parrot breeding facilities have been excavated, connecting the bird to long-distance trade, ritual activity, and elite status.
This effigy vessel combines the globular olla form with a modeled parrot head spout at the shoulder, the beak open and the head surmounted by a coiled snake rendered in applied clay — an iconographic combination that places the piece within the ceremonial rather than utilitarian range of Casas Grandes production. The geometric decoration covers the body of the vessel with stepped, angular, and interlocking motifs in black and red, executed with the controlled line work characteristic of accomplished Ramos Polychrome painters. The vessel is intact with no visible restoration, a condition that is notable for ceramics of this age and type.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
