For convenience of description I separate the pottery of Chiriqui into
two grand divisions: the _unpainted_ ware and the _painted_ ware. Two
important groups come under the first head. The first of these, the
terra cotta or biscuit ware, comprises a larger number of pieces than
any other group and is readily distinguished by its colors, which
include only the pale grayish yellow and reddish tints of the burned
clay. The second is limited to a small number of pieces and is black or
very dark upon the surface and dark within the mass.
_The terra cotta group._--This biscuit-like pottery is not in any way
inferior to the painted varieties. It bears evidence of great freedom in
handling, and serves, perhaps better than any other class of products,
to illustrate the masterly skill and the refined taste of the ancient
potter. It is said to occur in the same cemeteries and in the same
graves with the more important varieties of painted ware. The function
of these handsome vessels cannot be determined. It can hardly have been
of a domestic nature, as they show no evidences of discoloration or
wear, and we are left to speculate upon the possibility of a purely
ceremonial use. The paste is moderately fine, but contains an extremely
large share of gritty sand; the slip is thin and has received but a
slight degree of polish, so that the surface has a dead, somewhat
granular effect. As a rule the vases are of small size and are very thin
walled. The forms are symmetrical and exceptionally graceful. The
ornamentation includes incised figures (mostly geometric), raised
decoration (of similar character), and animal forms in the round. The
following illustrations are intended to epitomize the multitude of
forms, as anything like a complete representation is out of the
question.
[Illustration: Fig. 70. Series of bowls and cups of unpainted ware.]
Bowls, which form a leading feature of the pottery of most primitive
peoples, are here rarely seen, excepting as mounted upon tripods or
annular bases. There are in the collection a number of small cups of
hemispherical shape that may have served as spoons, ladles, or drinking
vessels. A few of these are outlined in Fig. 70. Two have minute
projections resembling handles affixed to the rim. In rare cases these
are so prolonged as to be of service in handling the cup; but in no
instance is there an approach to the long cylindrical handles seen in
the earthenware of other districts.
[Illustration: Fig. 71. Vase of graceful form--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 72. Vase of graceful form--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 73. Vase of fine form, ornamented with grotesque
heads--½.]
In following the form scale upward from these simple shapes we find the
orifice becoming more constricted and the neck more pronounced. The
margins are upright, incurved, or flaring, and give variety and grace to
the outlines. A tendency toward elaboration of ornament accompanies the
development of form. Bands of incised or relieved figures are carried
around the neck, shoulder, and handles and are added in such a way as
greatly to enhance the beauty of the vessel. The forms of these vessels
are so graceful and the finish is so perfect that one is tempted to
present an extended series, but it will be necessary to confine the
illustrations to a limited number of type specimens. Fig. 71 shows a
somewhat shallow form of great simplicity and grace. That in Fig. 72 is
deeper, with a narrow neck and a more decidedly conical shape. Two
minute grotesque figures are perched upon the shoulder. Fig. 73
represents a larger vessel of good form, which has a neat incised
pattern encircling the slightly incurved neck. Grotesque heads are set
upon the shoulder. A form somewhat more refined is shown in Fig. 74. The
neck is furnished with a relieved ornament, consisting of a meandered
and indented fillet, accompanied by two rows of minute indented nodes.
The heads are probably intended to represent the armadillo. They are
hollow and contain movable pellets. The fillet ornaments are always
tastefully treated, and in many cases represent twisted and plaited
cords. Some are marked in herring bone fashion and others have
transverse indentations. Small pellets of clay were much used and to
excellent advantage. They were set on lightly with the fingers and
firmly pressed down with minute pointed or edged tools and hollow straws
or reeds (Figs. 75 and 76). Some of these nodes are finished to
represent the heads of animals. This is done with an ease and a
simplicity that call forth our admiration (Fig. 77).
[Illustration: Fig. 74. Vase of fine form, ornamented with grotesque
heads--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 75. Vase with ornaments of applied nodes and
fillets--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 76. Vase with mantle covered with incised
figures--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 77. Vase with frieze of grotesque heads--½.]
Fig. 78 illustrates a series of vases having flaring rims, the treatment
otherwise being uniform with the preceding. We notice in these vessels a
decided tendency towards complexity of outline. Three examples, shown in
Fig. 79, have a two storied character, the upper part possibly being the
outgrowth of the collar ornament seen in so many cases. The large
specimen in the center is a handsome piece with square offset at the
shoulder and a decidedly conical base. A chaste ornament in relief
encircles the neck and two grotesque figures are seated upon opposite
sides of the shoulder. The vase at the left has two orifices, set wide
apart. The body is oblong and slightly flattened above. There are a
number of vessels of this conformation in the collection, some of which
have the mouths so close together that the margins or lips coalesce in
part. A superb specimen of this class is illustrated in Fig. 80. The
shape is thoroughly satisfactory to the eye, having a refinement of line
rarely attained in native American work. Its symmetry suggests the use
of the wheel, but the closest examination fails to detect a trace of
mechanical appliance, save that left by the polishing stone. The
decoration is simple and effective, consisting of minute nodes with
annular indentations about the necks and of two grotesque figures,
placed with consummate taste in the angles formed by the contact of the
two necks.
[Illustration: Fig. 78. Vases with flaring rims and varied
ornament--1/5.]
[Illustration: Fig. 79. Vases with complex outlines and varied
ornament--1/3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 80. Large vase with two mouths and neatly
decorated necks--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 81. Large vase with high handles--1/3.]
A very small percentage of these vessels possess true handles, but
these, in some of the examples, are worthy of high admiration. The
specimen presented in Fig. 81 attracts attention at once on account of
its resemblance to well known classic forms. It is evident, from a study
of this piece, that only a step more was necessary to place these
potters alongside of the highest masters of the art. The sharp high
elbow and the broadening of the handles at their junction with the lip
are notable features. The latter is shown more satisfactorily in
Fig. 82, which is a top view of a companion piece. I wish to call
attention here to a peculiar feature of these handles and one repeated
in vessels of other classes. At the elbow of each handle we find a
device in relief marked with herring bone indentations that would seem
to represent a kind of textile attachment, as if, at some previous time
and perhaps in an antecedent form of vessel, the upright and horizontal
parts of the handles had been stitched or tied together at this point.
Yet it is by no means certain that this feature is not the survival of
some feature of an animal form into the semblance of which, as seen in
other examples, this feature has a tendency to graduate.
[Illustration: Fig. 82. Top view of high handled vase--1/3.]
[Illustration:
Fig. 83.
Fig. 84.
Fig. 85.
Examples of handled vases--½.]
These vessels are not numerous, but acquire importance from their large
size, the larger being upwards of eight inches in height. A few pieces
of nearly identical shape, but of small size, are found among the
painted wares. Additional shapes are given in Figs. 83, 84, and 85, and
serve to illustrate the extent of variation exhibited in this group of
vases. The small shallow piece is exceptionally fine and the handles are
furnished with animal features of a highly conventional type. An
expansion of the handles somewhat similar to this is frequently seen in
vessels of other classes, especially in those of the handled group.
[Illustration:
Fig. 86.
Fig. 87.
Small cup with single handle ornamented with grotesque figure--½.]
Single handles of like character occur in a number of cases upon minute
cups, an example of which is given in Fig. 86. It would seem that
possibly in such cases the rim had been expanded and prolonged for the
purpose of giving support to the animal figures with which the shoulders
were embellished. The expansion is probably the outgrowth of the use of
animal figures in connection with simple handles.
[Illustration: Fig. 88. Vase of eccentric form--½.]
We have a number of vessels of this group the bodies of which imitate
animal forms, but they are in nearly all cases furnished with legs.
Rarely we meet with compound or eccentric forms. An interesting specimen
of the latter class is seen in Fig. 88. Such shapes are common in Peru
and are occasionally met with in Central America. The two strong handles
are decorated with minute images of birds and the bottom is concave, an
exceptional character in Chiriquian work.
The illustration of this group of vessels would not be complete without
a series of tripod vases. In shape of body these vases differ but little
from the legless forms already given, excepting where the use of life
forms has led to eccentric modifications. Very great interest attaches
to the modeling of the tripod supports, upon which the potters have
expended much time and ingenuity.
[Illustration:
Fig. 89.
Fig. 90.
Vessels illustrating forms of legs--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 91. Vessel with large legs ornamented with
stellar punctures--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 92. Vases of varied form with plain and with
animal shaped legs--1/3.]
The illustrations given herewith are chosen from a great number of
examples and are intended to convey an idea of the range of forms, both
of the vessels and of their supports. Figs. 89 and 90 show plain forms
of legs, all of which are hollow and contain small pellets of clay. The
openings are generally wide vertical slits, and are placed in front, as
seen in Fig. 89, or in the side, as in Fig. 90; but in exceptional cases
they take other shapes and are scattered over the surface, as seen in
Fig. 91. The legs are often remarkable in form, being swollen to an
enormous size above and terminating in small rounded points below. The
bowls are symmetrically shaped and graceful in outline. In Fig. 92 I
present a group illustrating some of the more eccentric forms of bowls
and a variety of their supports. A very superior piece and one of the
largest of this style is shown in Fig. 93.
[Illustration: Fig. 93. Large vase of striking shape--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 94. Cup with legs imitating animal forms--½.]
It will be seen that in a number of cases the legs are modeled to
represent animal forms. This feature is brought out more clearly in
succeeding figures. The creatures represented are often grotesque, as
seen in Figs. 94 and 95. The human form is rarely shown in a way to make
it clearly distinguishable from the figures of monkeys and other
animals. The armadillo is a favorite subject. An example of small
dimensions is illustrated in Fig. 96, in which this animal is given in
characteristic style, and a more pretentious piece is shown in Fig. 97.
The characteristics of the creature are very simply but graphically
expressed. In the first the hard ribbed and figured case is represented
by applied fillets and nodes, and in the other by incised lines. The
frog is also much used (Fig. 98). A rather remarkable conception is
illustrated in Fig. 99. Upon the front of each leg is a curious little
animal-like figure, to the front of which are bound two minute infantile
creatures. In the piece presented in Fig. 100, the legs are grotesque
heads, inverted, with wide open mouths and glaring eyes. The work upon
this vase is very superior.
[Illustration: Fig. 95. Cup with legs imitating a grotesque animal
form--½.]
[Illustration:
Fig. 96.
Fig. 97.
Cups with legs imitating the armadillo--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 98. Cup with frog shaped legs--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 99. Cup with legs imitating an animal and its
young--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 100. Cup supported by grotesque heads--½.]
The remarkable specimen illustrated in Fig. 101 is furnished with unique
supports. Two rudely modeled, semihuman, grotesque figures are affixed
to the under surface of the bowl, supporting it with their backs.
[Illustration: Fig. 101. Large cup supported by two grotesque
figures--1/3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 102. Cup with two animal heads attached to the
sides--¼.]
[Illustration: Fig. 103. Cup with two animal heads attached to the
sides--¼.]
The legs of these figures are spread out horizontally, so that a firm
support is obtained. The periphery of the body of this vessel is
encircled by a number of nodes and noded projections, which represent
the heads, tails, and spines of two crab-like animals. The heads, with
arms attached, appear at the right and left, and the tails occur at the
front and back just over the heads of the supporting figures. The use of
the crab in this way is quite common. Fish, birds, and a variety of
quadrupeds are similarly treated. Some very interesting examples of
double headed animal vases are found. Two of these are outlined in Figs.
102 and 103, the first having a single orifice and the second a pair of
orifices. In many cases the bowl of the vessel is considerably modified,
to give a more decided resemblance to the body of the creature. This is
well shown in Figs. 104-106. The first is probably intended for a bird:
the second resembles an armadillo; and the third portrays a creature
with ears and three horns. The oblong vessel shown in Fig. 107 is
modeled after a curious fish, to which the Chiriquians seem to have
attached considerable importance. It is represented with a wide mouth
displaying teeth, two spines or horns upon the end of the snout, and
fins upon the back and sides. Fig. 108 gives the top view of another
fish vase, which is supported, as are the others, by three legs. The
body is flat and is encircled by well modeled fins. The head is rather
flat and has the eyes and nose on the upper surface. I close this series
of illustrations with an outline of a fine vase (Fig. 109) the rim of
which is decorated with a single head of extremely grotesque and
repulsive character.
[Illustration: Fig. 104. Vase imitating an animal form--1/3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 105. Vase imitating an animal form--1/3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 106. Vase shaped to imitate an animal form--1/3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 107. Fish shaped vessel--1/3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 108. Top view of a fish shaped vessel--1/3.]
[Illustration: Fig. 109. Cup with grotesque head attached to the
rim--½.]
_Black incised group._--This pottery, although closely related to the
other varieties in its leading features, presents differences of a
pronounced character. The number of specimens recovered is rather small.
The largest piece has a capacity of perhaps a quart. Some of the forms
are identical with those of other groups, but a few are peculiar to this
ware. The color is black, brown, or dark gray, and in most cases the
entire mass is quite dark. The decoration is executed in two somewhat
distinct styles: in one the lines were scratched or engraved
subsequently to the hardening of the clay; in the other they were deeply
engraved with a sharp point while the clay was still moist. The lines
are usually very deep and are filled with a white substance which
renders the pattern distinctly visible upon the surface. It seems
probable that the lines were engraved deeply with the intention of
producing this effect. Type specimens are shown in Figs. 110 and 111.
They are small globular bottles, with short necks and wide apertures and
with handles placed at opposite sides of the lip, which is prolonged to
meet them. The design covers a large part of the body and is separated
into two parts by the handles and the undecorated panels that descend
from them. The figures appear to be very highly conventionalized animal
forms, probably serpents. The coiled ends of the ribbon-like dotted
bands are evidently meant to suggest the heads of reptiles. The figures
assume a variety of shapes and grade by degrees from the recognizable
life forms into purely geometric patterns. Examples of the latter style
are given in Figs. 112 and 113. The motives employed, although so
conventionally treated, are pretty certainly identical in origin with
the preceding.
[Illustration:
Fig. 110.
Fig. 111.
Black cups with incised reptilian figures--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 112. Black vase with conventional incised
pattern--½.]
There are a number of tripods in this group, some of which have the
deeply incised ornaments and others the shallow ones. The shapes vary
greatly, a few examples being decidedly Costa Rican in type. Pieces with
round bodies have conical legs, like much of the Chiriquian ware, but
those with shallow basins and angular, incurved, upright, or flaring
rims have the Costa Rican tripod. Figs. 114 and 115 may serve to
illustrate this variety. The first is a cup, with upright sides and
thick rim, having an incised geometric pattern. The second is much more
striking in appearance. The surface color is brownish gray in hue and
the simple geometric design was scratched through into the lighter color
beneath after the clay hardened. The legs represent the heads of animals
conventionally treated and are hollow, containing movable pellets. This
specimen is from latitude 8° 42´ north, longitude 82° 52´ west. Others
of this class come from different parts of the province.
[Illustration: Fig. 113. Small cup with conventional incised
patterns--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 114. Small tripod cup with upright walls and
legs imitating animal heads--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 115. Vase with flaring rim and legs, imitating
animal heads--½.]
To this class belongs also a small dark vase of peculiar shape and
interesting decoration, which is illustrated in Fig. 116. The neck is
large and the lip widely flaring, and the body is modeled in imitation
of the head of some animal, possibly a peccary. The side representing
the face is prolonged, giving an unsymmetric profile, as seen in the
second figure. The eyes are set midway between the ears (which are
placed at the sides) and the nostrils, and are inclosed by curious
engraved figures, probably suggested by the markings of the animal
portrayed. An arched ridge, representing the brows, connects the bridge
of the nose with the ears. The most novel feature of this piece is the
band of incised ornament that crosses the back of the head and serves
probably to carry out the idea of the complete creature. As will be seen
by reference to the figure, it is a guilloche-like interlacing of
fillets, bordered and apparently held in place by longitudinal bands,
beyond which the angles of the ornament project. The pattern is a
modified form of one commonly seen upon the margins of the larger stone
metates, and, although rarely met with in the pottery of Chiriqui, was a
favorite motive with the potters of Costa Rica. This vessel comes from
30 miles north-northwest of David.
[Illustration: Fig. 116. Vase modeled to resemble the head of an
animal--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 117. Pattern upon the back of the vase presented
in Fig. 116.]
The unpainted wares here so briefly described are typically Chiriquian,
and are closely associated in the graves with most of the leading groups
of art products of the province. It must be allowed that they take first
rank in the isthmian states, if not in America, for simplicity and
refinement of form, perfection of method, and purity of style.