High-necked, full-bodied bottles form a decided feature in the pottery
of this province. Similar vessels are rarely found in other sections
of the United States, but occur in Mexico and South America. The forms
are nowhere else so pronounced. They suggest the well-known water
bottles of eastern countries.
In material, finish, and decorative treatment they do not differ
greatly from the vases described in the preceding section.
FORM.--Their forms are greatly and often happily varied as will be
seen from the series of outlines given in Fig. 425.
[Illustration: FIG. 425.--Scale of forms.]
[Illustration: FIG. 426.--Tripods.]
A striking feature is found in the presence of legs and stands. The
former exhibit globular, conical, cylindrical, and terraced forms,
Fig. 426. No example has any striking resemblance to European forms.
All are tripods, and are attached to ordinary forms of vessels in
a way to suggest that they are superadded features probably rather
recently acquired; at the same time legs were doubtless employed by
the precolumbian peoples. This is known to be true of Mexico, and
Central and South America. There is no reason why the mound-builders
of the Mississippi should not have discovered the use of such a
device, readily suggested by the use of supports in building, in
baking, or in using the vessels, and it would necessarily follow the
modeling of life forms. It is true that quadrupeds would not directly
suggest the tripod, but birds modeled in clay were made to rest
upon the feet and tail, thus giving three supports; besides it would
readily be discovered that more than three supports are unnecessary.
The stands attached to these bottles are not essentially different
from those described in the preceding section. They take the form of
simple bands, as seen at _a_, Fig. 427; double bands, as shown in _b_
and _c_; or perforated feet, as seen in _d_.
[Illustration: FIG. 427.--Stands.]
Compound vessels are rather rare, nearly all of the varieties being
outlined in Fig. 428. Some of these are formed by uniting two or even
three simple forms in one. Others are only partially compound and
resemble the askoidal shapes of Greek art. Attention will be called to
the probable origin of all these shapes elsewhere.
[Illustration: FIG. 428.--Compound forms.]
Life forms are found in all the groups of ware, but differ in the
manner in which they are employed. Fig. 429 shows the usual methods
of adapting the human form to high-necked bottles. Quadrupeds,
fishes, and birds are treated in somewhat similar ways. The vessels
represented in this and the four preceding illustrations belong to the
various museums of the country.
[Illustration: FIG. 429.--Adaptation of the human form.]
ORNAMENT.--The styles of decoration are not distinct from those of
other classes of vessels. The incised scroll patterns are sometimes
very elaborate, and the designs in color are perhaps executed with
greater care than in other groups.
[Illustration: FIG. 430.--Bottle: Tennessee.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 431.--Gourd-shaped vessel: Arkansas.--1/3.
[_National Museum._]]
ILLUSTRATIONS.--_Ordinary forms._--I have not thought it advisable
to figure many specimens of plain bottles, as all the varieties of
outline are repeated in the more highly elaborated or embellished
pieces. Fig. 430 represents a plain bottle of the ordinary dark porous
ware. The neck is narrow above and expands abruptly below. The body is
globular. Looking at this vessel with reference to a possible origin,
we observe its resemblance to a common form of gourd. By a review of
the collection, we find that there are many similar vessels actually
modeled in imitation of gourds. Good examples are given in the Third
Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, from which Fig. 431
is taken, and in a paper by Edward Evers in Contributions to the
Archaeology of Missouri. The markings of the original are often shown
with a great deal of truthfulness in the earthenware reproductions.
[Illustration: FIG. 432.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 433.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.
[_National Museum._]]
Quite distinct in outline from the preceding forms is the bottle shown
in Fig. 432. The neck is high and cylindrical and the body resembles
a slightly-flattened globe. Set about the shoulder are four
medallion-like faces, the features of which are modeled roughly in low
relief. The ware is of the ordinary dark, slightly polished variety.
We have in Fig. 433 a good example of bottle-shaped vessels, the neck
of which is wide and short, and the body much compressed vertically.
There are a number of duplicates of it in the Museum. The specimen
illustrated is in the national collection, and was obtained in
Arkansas. It is a handsome vase, symmetrical in form, quite dark
in color, and highly polished. The upper surface of the body is
ornamented with a collar formed of a broad fillet of clay, or rather
of two fillets, the pointed ends of which unite on opposite sides of
the vase.
[Illustration: FIG. 434.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/2.
[_National Museum._]]
The handsome vase shown in Fig. 434 is of a somewhat different type
from the preceding. It was obtained, along with many other fine
specimens, from mounds near Little Rock, Arkansas. It is of the dark
polished ware with the usual fire mottlings. The form is symmetrical
and graceful. The neck is ornamented with a band of incised chevrons
and the sloping upper surface of the body, viewed from above, has a
cruciform arrangement of stepped figures engraved in the plastic clay.
One of the most striking of the bottle-shaped vases is shown in Fig.
435. It is symmetrical in shape, well proportioned and well finished.
The color is now quite dark and the surface is roughened by a
multitude of pits which have resulted from the decay of shell
particles. The paste crumbles into a brownish dust when struck or
pressed forcibly.
[Illustration: FIG. 435.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.
[_National Museum._]]
By far the most remarkable feature of the piece is the broad, convex
hood-like collar that encircles the neck and spreads out over the body
like an inverted saucer. This collar is curiously wrought in incised
lines and low ridges by means of which two grotesque faces are
produced. The eyes are readily detected, being indicated by low knobs
with central pits surrounded each by three concentric circles. They
are arranged in pairs on opposite sides. Between the eyes of each
pair an incipient nose and mouth may be made out. The face is outlined
below by the lower edge of the collar and above, by a low indented
ridge crossing the collar tangent to the base of the neck.
The most expanded part of the body is encircled by an incised pattern
consisting of five sets of partially interlocked scrolls--an ornament
characteristic of the pottery of Arkansas.
Modifications of the simple outlines of bottles exhibit many
interesting peculiarities. Compound forms are not unusual and consist
generally of imitations of two vessels, the one superimposed upon or
set in the mouth of another. A good example in the ordinary plain dark
ware is given in Fig. 436. Similar shapes are suggested by lobed forms
of the gourd.
[Illustration: FIG. 436.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
Other specimens may be seen in which there is only a gentle swelling
of the neck, but all gradations occur between this condition and that
in which forms of two vessels distinctly appear.
[Illustration: FIG. 437.--Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.]
A very usual form is illustrated in Fig. 437. Below the overhanging
lip the neck contracts and then expands until quite full, and at the
base contracts again. This feature corresponds to the upper vessel
suggested in the preceding case. Four flattened handles are placed
about the upper part of the neck and three rows of small conical
pits encircle the most expanded portion. The body is plain and much
compressed vertically. A low wide stand is attached to the base. A
number of good examples, now in the National Museum, were found in
Arkansas.
The vase shown in Fig. 438 has also the double body, the vessels
copied having been somewhat more elaborately modeled than in the
preceding cases. A bottle is set within the mouth of a pot. The neck
is high, wide, and flaring and rests upon the back of a rudely modeled
frog, which lies extended upon the upper surface of the body. The
notched encircling ridge beneath the feet of the reptile represents
the rim of the lower vessel, which is a pot with compressed globular
body and short, wide neck. This vase is of the dark, dead-surfaced
ware and is quite plain. Four vertical ridges take the place of
handles. I have observed other examples in which two vessels, combined
in this way, served as models for the potter; one, a shell set within
a cup, is illustrated in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of
Ethnology; another is given in Contributions to the Archaeology of
Missouri.
[Illustration: FIG. 438.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
Fig. 439 illustrates a rather graceful form of bottle. It is furnished
with a rather high perforated stand or foot, and the body is fluted
vertically with narrow, widely separated channels. The neck is high
and flaring and has a narrow notched collar at the base.
[Illustration: FIG. 439.--Fluted bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 440.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas.(?)--1/3.]
There are many good examples of engraved geometric designs upon
bottle-shaped vessels. One of the most elaborate is presented in Fig.
440. This vessel has a full, wide neck, a heavy, flattened body, and a
broad rudimentary foot. The color is quite dark, and the surface well
polished. The engraved design consists of four elaborate, interlinked
scrolls, comprising a number of lines, and bordered by wing-like,
triangular figures, filled in with reticulated lines. This latter
feature is often associated with native delineations of mythic
reptiles, and it is not impossible that this scroll work is a highly
conventionalized form of some such conception. The four volute centers
are slightly concave.
Three excellent examples of tripod bottles are illustrated in the
accompanying figures. The first, Fig. 441, is a large-necked, rather
clumsy vessel of ordinary workmanship, which rests upon three globular
legs. These are hollow and the cavities connect with that of the body
of the vessel. The whole surface is well polished and very dark.
[Illustration: FIG. 441.--Tripod bottle: Arkansas.(?)--1/3.]
The vessel depicted in Fig. 442 has a number of noteworthy features.
In shape, it resembles the preceding with the exception of the legs,
which are flat and have stepped or terraced margins. The whole surface
of the vessel is decorated with characteristic designs in red and
white upon a warm gray ground. A stepped figure, resembling the Pueblo
emblematic "rim of the sky," encircles the neck, and semicircular
figures in white appear on opposite sides at the top and base. The
body is covered with scroll work in broad red lines, the spaces being
filled in with white in the form of a thick earthy paste. Each of the
legs has one-half red and the other white.
The vessel illustrated in Fig. 443 is of ordinary, dark, polished
ware, and is entirely plain. It is peculiar in the shape of its
extremities. The neck resembles a long truncated cone, and the legs
are heavy and conical, being not unlike those of a common iron pot.
_Eccentric forms._--In this place I am able to give but one example of
what I have denominated eccentric forms. Others have been indicated
on preceding pages. The vase given in Fig. 444 has a flattish, ovoidal
body from the opposite ends of which springs a hollow arch--a sort of
double neck. This has been perforated at the highest point, and a
low recurving rim, which serves as the mouth of the vessel, has been
attached.
[Illustration: FIG. 442.--Tripod bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 443.--Tripod bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 444.--Bottle of eccentric form: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]
Another example of this form has recently been received at the
Davenport Museum. It is in fragments, but was originally nicely
finished and painted. Illustrations of others may be seen in the Third
Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, and in Contributions to the
Archaeology of Missouri. The specimen illustrated was found at the foot
of a skeleton in a grave at Pecan Point.
This shape is common to the art of many countries, and was a great
favorite in ancient Peru.
[Illustration: FIG. 445.--Owl-shaped bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
_Life forms._--In the introduction to this section, I have indicated
the many ways in which the human form is employed in the embellishment
or the elaboration of bottles. Birds, beasts, fishes, and reptiles are
treated in a similar manner.
The owl was a favorite subject with the potter, probably on account of
the upright, compact figure of the body, or possibly because of some
especial regard in which this bird was held.
A rather handsome specimen is shown in Fig. 445. The modeling is more
than usually successful, and the surface is carefully finished. The
wings are treated in a pleasing but highly conventional manner. The
plumage is indicated by alternate bands of pale-red and yellow-gray,
the latter being the ground color. These bands are outlined by fine
incised lines. The remainder of the body is painted red. The vessel
rests upon the feet and tail--a natural tripod. In many cases the head
of the bird forms the top of the neck of the bottle--the body of the
vessel itself being plain and globular.
[Illustration: FIG. 446.--Hale's Point, Tennessee.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 447.--Arkansas (?).--1/3.]
The heads of animals are treated in the same manner, as may be seen by
reference to Figs. 446 and 447.
The head shown in Fig. 446 is clearly that of a bear. The whole vessel
is painted red. Fig. 447 illustrates a small dark bottle, surmounted
by a head of nondescript character. The aperture in these vessels is
generally at the back of the head.
Fish and reptiles appear somewhat more rarely in connection with
high-necked bottles. The Davenport Museum has recently acquired a
fine example, painted in red and white, which has the head and other
features of a fish, modeled in relief upon the sides and bottom of
the body. A small, dark vessel of like character is illustrated in the
Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology.
In the example given in Figs. 448 and 449 the upper part of the
neck has been modified in such a way as to accommodate a curious,
medallion-like relievo of the human face, while in Figs. 450 and 451
the neck is replaced by grotesque heads, the latter being intended
apparently for an owl.
These potters dealt with the human figure in a very bold manner for
savages. They were evidently capable of representing many creatures
with accuracy, but preferred grotesque or conventional forms. A man or
a woman is generally modeled with a large body and a curious hunched
back, the vertebrae appearing along the prominent ridge. The shoulder
blades are usually shown with anatomical distinctness, if not with
precision; the arms are long and slender and the hands rest upon the
knees or the sides. The position assumed is mostly that of kneeling
or squatting, the feet being doubled up beneath and uniting with the
bottom of the vessel.
[Illustration: FIG. 448.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 449.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 450.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 451.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
These effigy vases are numerous, and greatly varied in size and color.
They are mostly of the dark ware, but are found painted plain red
or in red and white figures, some of which represent parts of the
costume, others, emblematic devices. The largest specimen with which
I am acquainted is illustrated in Fig. 452. It is well modeled, a good
deal of attention having been given to the details of anatomy. The
back is very much humped, and the vertebrae are represented by a series
of knobs. The position of the feet beneath the body is, perhaps,
worthy of notice. This is shown in Fig. 453_b_. It will be seen that
the knees, calves, ankles, and the various parts of the feet are
indicated with an approach to accuracy. The projecting back is seen
below. The bottom of the vessel is nearly flat, and the legs are
modeled in low relief upon it. Other positions are shown in Fig. 453.
[Illustration: FIG. 452.--Effigy bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
Fig. 454 illustrates a characteristic profile.
[Illustration: FIG. 453.--Positions of feet.]
One of these vases has a cross painted upon the breast of the
personage represented. The kneeling position, taken in connection with
the cross, leads to the thought that perhaps the potter lived in the
period of the French missionary, and attempted to model him in clay.
There is, however, no indication of costume, and the painting, with
the exception of the cross, is in a purely aboriginal style of design.
The ground color of the vase is, as usual, a moderately dark gray
brown, and the painted figures are laid on in thick, blackish paint.
Lines partially encircle the eyes, and extend down over the cheek to
the neck, and a line passes around the mouth and extends down over the
chin, neck, and chest to the base of the body. The horizontal bar of
the cross connects the nipples. The shoulder blades and the hands are
also painted black. The back is very curiously modeled and painted.
[Illustration: FIG. 454.--Effigy bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 455.--Effigy bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]
There are in the collection a number of specimens that do not come
under either of the preceding heads. Of these I may mention three
small figures from Paducah, Kentucky, which represent a snake, a man,
and a deer. They are very rudely done, and are possibly modern work.
Attention should be called to some small specimens resembling
toadstools or mushrooms in shape, some of which may have been stoppers
for bottles, while others could have served as implements in some of
the arts. One of these pieces has a distinctly vitrified surface. Its
age, however, cannot be determined.
There are a few rude pipes of usual forms and of no special interest.
The comparative scarcity of these articles, so plentiful in some
of the mound districts, is certainly worthy of the attention of
archaeologists.