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This beautifully preserved vase shows some of the common geometrical motifs used by West Mexican artists. The vase's rim has been perforated on opposite sides, suggesting it may have been carried or hung through the use of some kind of cord. The piece is unusual, however, in that a human face appears to be emerging from within the vase: note the realistic, full-dimensional rendering of a human nose and mouth.




Tripod red vase with geometrical and anthropomorphic motifs
West Mexico
Early Classic period (150-300 A.D.)
Unknown
Red burnished clay with white pigment
N/A
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico.

Photo © Jorge Pérez de Lara