Basin or bowl-shaped vessels exhibit great diversity of shape and
ornament. In size they range from less than one inch in diameter and
depth to more than twenty inches in diameter and a foot in depth. In
color and finish they are uniform with vessels of the other classes.
Their uses were doubtless chiefly domestic.
[Illustration: FIG. 362.--Forms of bowls.]
FORM.--The forms are greatly varied, as will be seen in Fig. 362. Many
are simply segments of spheres and vary from a shallow saucer to a
hollow perforated globe. Others have elongated, compressed, or conical
bodies, with round or flattened bases. Rectangular and irregular forms
are sometimes found. Stands and legs are but rarely attached, and
handles, excepting those of a grotesque character, are exceptional.
It will probably be safe to assume that some form of shallow vessel--a
dish, cup, or bowl, was the first artificial form produced. Such
a vessel would be most easily fashioned in clay and may have been
suggested by accident, or by natural or artificial vessels.
Whatever the origin or whichever the method of construction, the
difficulties encountered would at first prevent the manufacture of
other than the simplest forms.
ORNAMENT.--The ornamentation of bowls was accomplished in a variety
of ways. These have been already described in a general way, under the
head of ornament. Rim modifications constitute an important feature.
The margin or lip may be square, oblique, round, or grooved, as
indicated in Fig. 363 _a_, _b_, _c_, and _d_. The scallop may be
employed as in _e_ and _f_, and relief ornament may be added, such as
fillets and nodes, and various horizontal projections, as shown in
the second line, Fig. 363, to say nothing of incised lines and
indentations, which are the heritage of wicker-work.
[Illustration: FIG. 363.--Modification of rims.]
Not satisfied with these simple ideas of decoration, the fancy of
the potter led him to add embellishments of most varied and often of
extraordinary character. The nodes and ridges have been enlarged and
prolonged, and fashioned into a thousand natural and fanciful forms.
Shells, fish, birds, beasts, human and impossible creatures have been
utilized in a multitude of ways. Many illustrations of these are given
on subsequent pages.
The body of the bowl is somewhat less profusely ornamented than the
rim. The interior, as well as the exterior, has received painted,
relieved, and intaglio designs. In the painted ones the favorite idea
for the interior is a series of volutes, in broad lines, radiating
from the center of the basin. Groups of festooned lines, either
painted or engraved, and arranged to give the effect of imbricate
scales, form also a favorite motive. The exterior surface of the
incurved rims of globular vessels offers a tempting surface to the
artist and is often tastefully decorated in all the styles.
ILLUSTRATIONS.--_Ordinary forms._--I have not thought it necessary to
present many cuts of simple undecorated vessels, as their shapes are
repeated numberless times in elaborated forms. The crude examples
teach nothing as to stage of culture. They are of the same time and
people as the finer specimens.
[Illustration: FIG. 364.--Bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
The small bowl given in Fig. 364 is unusually well made, and is
peculiar in having its interior surface decorated with a rather chaste
incised design consisting of festooned lines. This was a favorite idea
with the ancient potters and may be seen on both exterior and interior
surfaces of a variety of vessels. The rim is beveled on the inner edge
and has a beaded or indented fillet encircling the outer margin. The
bottom is somewhat flattened. This specimen is from Arkansas.
[Illustration: FIG. 365.--Bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
In Fig. 365 we have a good example of the dark, nicely-finished ware
of Arkansas. The widely expanding rim is neatly scalloped on the
margin and is finished on the inside with a pattern of incised lines.
These lines appear to have been engraved in the hardened clay. The
form is rendered graceful by a shallow encircling depression or groove
at the base of the rim. The bottom is somewhat flattened.
Occasionally we find very deep bowls with sloping sides and flat
bottoms resembling our common flower pots. One example from Arkansas
is seven inches in diameter at the top and four at the base, and five
inches deep. A heavy band of clay has been added to the outer
margin of the rim, leaving a channel above and beneath. A number of
perforations occur in this rim, as if made for the passage of thongs
or filaments. A similar specimen of larger dimensions may be seen in
the National Museum.
We have a number of bowls with incurved rims. This form is more
characteristic of the south and is common along the Gulf coast.
A very small example is shown in Fig. 366. The lower part of the body
is nearly hemispherical while the rim contracts slightly, giving a
rather graceful outline. The exterior is embellished with a simple
figure consisting of four linked scrolls which have been traced with a
blunt point in the moist clay.
[Illustration: FIG. 366.--Cup: Arkansas.--1/3.]
A much larger vessel resembling the above in shape is given in Fig.
367. It is of the dark brownish shell-tempered ware, characteristic
of Arkansas. The lip is much incurved and the base considerably
flattened, so that the form is that of a greatly compressed oblate
spheroid. The outer surface has been moderately well polished, and is
ornamented in a very effective manner by a series of figures, outlined
by incised lines, alternate spaces being filled in with minute
punctures.
[Illustration: FIG. 367.--Bowl: Arkansas. (?)--1/3.]
A favorite form is a bowl with full deep body and incurved lip.
A vessel of this class is illustrated in Fig. 368. The rim is but
slightly incurved, while the body is considerably constricted below
the greatest circumference. It is a unique and handsome specimen. The
color of the slip is a pale, reddish-gray, a little darker than an
ordinary flesh tint. The paste is seen to be yellowish where the
surface has been injured. The ornament is a simple meander, consisting
of three incised lines. It is said to have been found in Arkansas.
Other bowls of like form and of elegant finish are found in the
collection. They are generally dark in color, and have large
apertures, low walls and flattened bases. The meander, mostly in its
more simple forms, is the favorite decoration.
[Illustration: FIG. 368.--Bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
There are many red vessels of the class under consideration, but the
majority are less contracted at the aperture and thus are somewhat
pot-shaped. They are rather rudely constructed and finished, and
but for the color, would seem to be intended for ordinary cooking
purposes. I observe in a number of cases that circular medallion-like
ornaments have been set around the rim. These are from one-half to one
inch in diameter, and are generally perforated or punctured in two
or three places, apparently with the idea of representing a face. The
effect is very much like that of the small perforated disks, riveted
upon the exterior of copper or tin kettles for the purpose of
attaching handles. Occasionally a tail-like appendage is added to the
under side of these discoidal heads, suggesting the tadpole figures
upon the sacred water vessels of the Pueblo Indians.
One large basin with slightly incurved rim has a series of triangular
figures in red and brown upon both the inner and the outer surfaces.
It is rudely finished and of large size, being eleven inches in
diameter and seven and a half in height.
_Eccentric forms._--Before proceeding with the discussion of
life-forms as exhibited in bowls, I must present a few unique shapes.
[Illustration: FIG. 369. FIG. 370. Cups: Arkansas (?).--1/3.]
These consist of ladle-shaped vessels, and of bowls or basins with
rectangular, oval, or unsymmetrical outlines. Ladles are of rare
occurrence. In the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology
I have illustrated the best example that has come to my notice. The
Davenport collection contains but one specimen--a rude shallow cup
with a short thick handle. The form suggests the wooden and horn
spoons of the modern tribes and may have originated in their archaic
prototypes.
Fig. 369 illustrates a minute cup rudely made of coarse clay. The
outline is oval and slightly pointed at one end, as if intended for
pouring liquids.
In Fig. 370 we have another small vessel of rude finish with two
pointed lips. A much larger vessel of similar shape may be seen in the
Davenport collection. The projecting pointed lip is rarely found in
aboriginal pottery, although I see no reason why such a feature may
not readily have been suggested to the savage by the prolonged margins
of his vessels of shell.
Rectangular vessels are of the rude shell-tempered ware, and, although
rare, are widely distributed.
Fig. 371 illustrates a specimen from Pecan Point, Arkansas. The
surface is rudely finished and without polish. The color is a dark
gray, much flecked with large particles of white shell. Another
example has a square rim but a rounded bottom, and is covered with a
coat or slip of dark red clay.
[Illustration: FIG. 371.--Rectangular bowl: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]
A small vessel from the same region as the preceding has the rim
pressed in on the four sides, leaving sharp, projecting corners.
One of the most notable vessels in the collection is illustrated in
Fig. 372. It is a heavy casket consisting of two parts, body and lid,
and is made as usual of clay and coarsely pulverized shell. It is
brownish gray in color and bears some marks of the baking. It was
obtained by Captain W. P. Hall from a low mound at Hale's Point,
Tennessee, and is described by Mr. W. H. Pratt, in the following
language: "It is of rude, irregular, quadrangular form, made in two
parts. The lower, or case proper, is 12 inches long, 7 inches wide,
and 5 inches deep, inside measure, the upper edge being slightly
bent inward all around. The upper part or lid is of similar form and
dimensions, being very slightly larger, so as to close down over the
other part, about one and a half inches, and is somewhat more shallow.
As the lid does not fit very perfectly, the joint around the edge had
been plastered up with clay. When found, it contained the remains of a
very small child reduced to dust, except that some of the bones of
the skull, jaws, and limbs retained their form, crumbling rapidly,
however, upon removal and exposure to the air. There were also found
two or three dozen small shell beads. Excepting the remains described,
the case was entirely empty. The case weighs six and a quarter, and
the lid just six pounds." This is one of the very few vessels that
would seem to have been constructed especially for mortuary purposes.
[Illustration: FIG. 372.--Burial casket: Hale's Point,
Tennessee.--1/4.]
I wish to add to the list of eccentric forms a singular example from
the collection of J. R. Thibault, of Little Rock, Arkansas. As shown
in Fig. 373 it is an oblong, trough-like vessel with flat projecting
wings at the ends. It is extremely well-finished, with thin walls,
symmetrical form, and high polish. The color is quite dark and the
material is as usual. The engraved design consists of incised lines,
which form a number of rectangular compartments extending around the
exterior surface of the body. The wings are perforated. The form of
this vessel suggests the wooden trays of some modern tribes. A similar
example, which is illustrated in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau
of Ethnology, is of much inferior interest, being plain and rude.
_Life forms._--A very large percentage of the bowls of this district
are modified in such a way as to resemble, more or less closely,
the form of some living creature--bird, beast, or reptile. Especial
attention has been given to the heads. These are modeled in the round
and attached to the rim or side, while other parts of the animal
appear upon different portions of the vessel.
[Illustration: FIG. 373.--Trough-shaped vessel: Arkansas.--1/3.
[_National Museum._]]
It will be difficult to determine the origin of this curious practice.
We shall not be able to say that it came from the elaboration of
handles, simply to please fancy, for the reason that vessels of
this class are rarely known to have had simple handles; nor from the
modification of simple ornaments, as such were but little used. It
is still less probable that animal forms were first modeled
independently, and afterwards changed in such a way as to serve as
vessels. There are no examples of animal forms in clay independent
of vessels. It would not be consistent with primitive methods
of procedure to copy nature direct, at least until some mystic
significance had become attached to the form employed. It is possible,
however, that the origin of this practice is not to be found
within the plastic art itself, but in the shapes of antecedent and
co-existent vessels of other materials in which life forms had been
employed; or in the use of natural objects themselves as utensils,
the original forms not having been lost sight of and having in time
suggested the employment of other natural forms. Examples of the
latter class may be cited.
Shells were primitive vessels. The hard cases of seeds and fruits were
also much used. These were doubtless antecedent to vessels of clay.
They were the natural models for the potter, the carver in wood or
stone, and their employment as such served to lead up gradually to a
more realistic and general use of natural shapes in works of art to
which they were not essential features. The importance of the various
animal forms was increased by their association with religious ideas.
Nearly all the vessels of this class presented in the following
illustrations come from the vicinity of Pecan Point, Arkansas.
Clay vessels imitating both marine and fresh-water shells are
occasionally obtained from the mounds and graves of the Mississippi
Valley. The conch shell appears to have been a favorite model,
especially in its modified form, Fig. 374, _a_ and _b_. The clam shell
is also imitated in _c_ and _d_. The more conventional forms of these
vessels are exceedingly interesting, as they point out the tendencies
and possibilities of modification. An instructive example illustrated
in _e_ has four groups of nodes, each, consisting of a large central
node with four or five smaller ones, surrounding it, set about the
rim, the conception being that of four shells joined in one vessel,
with the noded apexes turned outward and the bases inward.
A still more highly conventionalized form is shown in _f_. The cup
is unsymmetrical in outline, and has a few imperfect nodes near one
corner, but its resemblance to a shell would hardly be recognized by
one unacquainted with more realistic renderings of like subjects. In
_g_ we have an imitation of a shell cup placed within a plain cup.
[Illustrations: FIG. 374.--Clay vessels imitating shells.]
A very good illustration of this class of vessel is given in Fig. 375.
It is evidently intended to imitate a trimmed conch shell. The apex
and a few of the surrounding nodes are shown at the right, while the
base or spine forms a projecting lip at the left. A coil of clay forms
the apex. This is carried outward in a sinistral spiral to the noded
shoulder. We have here a suggestion of the origin of a favorite
decorative motive, the scroll, a clew, however, which the paucity of
examples makes it difficult to follow up satisfactorily.
[Illustration: FIG. 375.--Bowl imitating a modified conch shell.--1/3.]
Although we may not be able to arrive at any definite conclusion in
regard to the origin and significance of the practice of modeling
life forms in clay, we are certain of one thing, that it became an
important feature in the potter's art, and that in due course of time
the practice broke loose from the restraints of birth and tradition
and asserted its freedom in the production of any form that
superstition or fancy happened to select.
The artist probably did not follow nature with great accuracy in all
the details of species and varieties, but some definite model must
have been in view, in nearly all cases, and such characters as came
to be regarded as essential to that creature were never lost sight of,
consistency being a most notable characteristic of the art of a savage
or barbaric people.
[Illustration: FIG. 376.--Frog-shaped bowl: Craigshead Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 377.--Frog-shaped bowl: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 378.--Animal-shaped bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
The sun-fish was a favorite model, but its form was generally employed
in vessels with upright necks. A number of examples occur in the next
section. Of reptilian forms the frog seems to have been the favorite.
[Illustration: FIG. 379.--Bird-shaped bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 380.--Bird-shaped bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
Few examples occur, however, in the shallower vessels. In the bowl
illustrated in Fig. 376, the various members of the body are boldly
modeled, and appear about the most expanded portion of the vessel.
The rim is ornamented with a series of notches, and two small loops
connect the rim with the head and tail of the creature. The legs are
characteristic, and the long toes extend beneath the body. The bottom
of the vessel is flat. The make and finish are as usual, but the
surface has been painted red. A similar vessel is shown in Fig. 377,
the view being taken from the front. It is well polished and has a
rounded bottom. The color is dark.
[Illustration: FIG. 381.--Bird-shaped bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 382.--Bowl with grotesque heads: Arkansas.--1/3.]
Another remarkable example of this use of animal forms is seen in
the vessel presented in Fig. 378. A deep globular bowl of dark,
well-polished ware is made to represent the head of an animal. A long
snout, with teeth and nostrils and accompanied by a pair of knobs for
eyes, embellishes the right side--as seen in the cut--ears appear at
the front and back, and a circular node standing, perhaps, for the
severed neck, is placed at the left. The head has a decidedly porcine
look, yet it may have been intended for a raccoon or an opossum.
Fig. 379 illustrates a large shallow bowl or pan of ordinary form
and finish. The head of a bird resembling a turkey is attached to one
side, with the bill turned inward. On the opposite side there is a
small handle-like projection that represents the bird's tail.
A vessel of somewhat extraordinary form is shown in Fig. 380. The bowl
is smaller and deeper than the last, and serves as the body of a bird,
the head and tail of which are of unusual proportions. The neck is
very long and thick and is gracefully curved, but the head is not
modeled with sufficient care to make apparent the species intended.
The vessel shown in Fig. 381 is also finished in imitation of a bird.
In this case the bird is placed upon its back, the neck and head being
looped up to form a sort of handle on one side, while the legs answer
a like purpose on the opposite side. The wings are represented by
a number of lines rudely engraved upon the sides of the vessel. The
resemblance of this bowl to the wooden basins made by Northwest Coast
Indians is very striking.
The vessel shown in Fig. 382 is one of the most unique yet brought to
light. It is a heavy, rather rudely finished bowl, to the rim of which
two grotesque heads, apparently of nondescript character, have been
attached. One resembles the oft-occurring plumed serpent of aboriginal
American art in a number of its characters. The other has a double
comb somewhat resembling that of a domestic fowl. No description
can convey as clear a conception of these monstrosities as the
accompanying illustration.
[Illustration: FIG. 383.--Heads of birds.]
[Illustration: FIG. 384.--Grotesque heads.]
A good degree of skill is shown in the modeling of varieties of birds.
A fair idea of the accuracy of these potters in this direction will be
conveyed by the series of heads shown in Fig. 383. Several species
of ducks are apparently differentiated, one of which, resembling the
summer duck closely, is given in _a_, while the head given in _b_,
although possibly also intended for a duck, is much like a grouse or
partridge. The pigeon or dove is seen in _c_, the vulture or eagle in
_d_, and the owl in _e_.
[Illustration: FIG. 385.--Bowl with grotesque head: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 386.--Bowl with grotesque head: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/2.]
It would be difficult to imagine more grotesque and outlandish heads
than those attached to the bowls illustrated in Figs. 385 and 386. The
vessels themselves are of the usual type, rudely modeled and finished
and very heavy. The first is dark in color, the other red. The strange
animal here represented is certainly not a close copy of anything in
nature. It is characterized by upright ears, a high bulbous snout
and a grinning mouth. The teeth in some cases resemble the fangs of
a serpent. The eyes consist of rounded nodes; and often curved lines,
incised or in relief, extend from them or the mouth down the sides of
the neck. The tail at the opposite end of the vessel is turned upward
and coiled. The type specimens of this form are from Pecan Point,
Arkansas.
[Illustration: FIG. 387.--Bowl with grotesque handle: Scanlon's
Landing, Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 388.--Animal-shaped bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
The peculiar character of this class of heads is well shown in the
series given in Fig. 384. My observations have led me to suspect
that they may be the result of attempts to model in clay the mythical
plumed serpent which is so graphically delineated in the engraving
upon the little vase shown in Fig. 407. The fact that in one case legs
have been added to the base of the body militates against this theory.
Their resemblance to the gargoyle heads of mediaeval architecture
suggests the possibility of early European influence.
If possible, a still more novel conceit is embodied in the handle of
the vessel shown in Fig. 387. It can be likened to nothing in nature
more readily than to the antler of an elk. This vessel is of a dark
brownish color, and is but slightly polished. A duplicate specimen
of inferior size and finish has recently been added to the National
Museum from a grave at Pecan Point.
Similar to the preceding in general appearance are a number of bowls
or deep pans, embellished with the heads of animals. A very good
example is given in Fig. 388. The head has a decided resemblance to
that of a female deer or fawn. The tail appears upon the opposite side
of the basin, and is pendant, as in nature. Legs have been added
to the base of the bowl; these terminate beneath the body in cloven
hoofs.
The small bowl, shown in Fig. 389, is nearly hemispherical in shape.
[Illustration: FIG. 389.--Animal-shaped bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]
A small head, representing some animal, has been attached to the
rim. The exterior surface is covered with a number of groups of
roughly-worked concentric ridges, which may be meant to imitate hair.
These ridges have apparently been made by pinching up the clay between
the nails of the fingers and thumb. Figures of similar form are
generally incised. This vessel is probably from the vicinity of Pecan
Point.
The creature represented by the head, shown in Fig. 390, would not be
recognized from the cut, or perhaps not even with certainty from any
single specimen, but with a number of examples in view, there need be
no hesitation. The animal intended is a bat. In a number of features
the likeness is striking. The high top head, the angular ears, and the
small eyes crowded down upon the mouth are characteristic. The tail is
flat, curved a little upward, and ridged along the middle in imitation
of the attenuated caudal column. The general consistency of this
work is demonstrated by the fact that this particular form of tail
accompanies this form of head in all cases, and is not associated with
any other. The face of the bat is always turned toward the vessel; in
imitation of other varieties of animals, it is nearly always turned
out.
[Illustration: FIG. 390.--Bowl with bat's head: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]
In one case, Fig. 391, we have, what appears to be, a human head
attached to the side of the bowl. This head is furnished with a
triangular crest, notched on the edges, and enlarged at the top. The
case is a perplexing one, especially as a tail like that attached to
the bird bowls occurs on the side opposite the head.
[Illustration: FIG. 391.--Bowl: Arkansas.--1/3.]