Posted 13 years ago
ShelleM
(2 items)
I have so many questions about this. I have no history or provenance on this. It is about 4 in. tall and about 5 1/2 in. wide. The "strap" appears to be a type of animal skin with hair from the animal still intact and visible in several places. I am making an assumption that this is American Indian, maybe it is not. Is this Native American? What is the rawhide strap called, what purpose does it serve? Any help or direction to identify this would be appreciated.
I have attached further pics as requested. The broken portion of the rim is still with the bowl. The last picture is a photo of the bottom of the bowl. Thanks for the help and comments.
please take a photo of the top looking down and a photo of the bottom.
I think this is a modern piece, probably Raku fired , but I need to see more details.
Not uncommon for pottery artists to mimic ancient artists. Not a fake, just made to be old on purpose.
Now that I can see the top and bottom, I take back what I said above. It looks primitive, and most likely is. I am stumped.
I think the leather is to allow for the pot to have a strap attached to it, to be able to carry it over the shoulder, or suspend it above ground.
Thanks for the input, TOOMUCH, I have no idea how to research it because I am not sure what to call the rawhide strip. In searching Google images, I only found one item with a similar "lashing" but the lead didn't go anywhere.
This is a contemporary Mexican import, made by the Tarahumara of the Copper Canyon region of central Mexico. These pots are made for sale to tourists, who probably buy them because they are handmade and look old. The rawhide strips are decorative only, and are added because it tends to increase sales. Google "Tarahumara pottery," to confirm.
I bought a very similar pot in 1998, Ruidoso, NM. I was told then it was a Native American bean pot and the deer hide was added later for decoration to entice buyers in the antique store.....(he didn't say if it was old or new Native American...) I didnt care, wanted it, and paid $65.