This beautiful rarity is an exceptional
representation of Mesoamerican art. The
creation of life by human birth is a source of
great fascination - today as in antiquity. Not
only was birth an important event of great
concern in every day life, but it also played a
major role in the creation accounts of the gods.
It was common for an infant at the time of birth
to be ritually introduced into some of the most
essential truths of human existence, such as the
origins, nature, and fate of mankind. The
mysteries of gestation and birth were the domain
of a particular class of curers. Here, the
newborn baby emerging from the mother's
womb is symbolically adorned with earspools
and cap: royal status at birth entails a future
political and religious chieftain. The mirror-
bright burnished surface is technically
unsurpassed by any Pre-Columbian pottery, and
the angular geometric patterns of reddish-
orange, black and cream are impressively vivid.
The guilloche (an ornament formed by two or
more intertwining bands or intersecting lines)
and woven-mat patterns are indicative of high
rank. Certain experts believe that the potters of
Chupicuaro were the true inventors of
polychrome in Meso-America. The culmination of
this brilliant polychrome tradition and the
striking and exceptionally rare subject matter of
birth make this an extraordinary masterpiece
amongst all art and cultures worldwide.
- (PF.3146)
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