| OCR Text |
Show 45 Fig. 9. A cup or dipper from Montezuma Canon; bowl, 3J inches diam" eter; handle, 4 inches long. Fig. 12. A pitcher, taken from a grave on the banks of the San Juanr near the mouth of the Mancos, by Captain Moss. In the same find were other similar vessels, some polished stone implements, and a human jaw- bone. The ware of this pitcher is a coarse, gray material,, somewhat roughly modeled, but of fine form and tasteful decoration. Fig. 10 is a peculiar vessel, found among the Moquis of Tegua. They could give no account as to where it came from or who made it. It is-probably of Zuni manufacture. The material is rather soft, being easily cut with a knife. The upper portion is painted or glazed white, and tbe lower red; the figures are painted in red and black. The tallest portion is six inches in height. Fig. 7 is an example of the modern work of the Moquis of Tegua. The material and workmanship are far below any of the preceding examples; approaching them only in its ornamentation, which is strictly inventional, but somewhat bizarre. PLATE 22. This plate is intended to represent some of the most striking instances of taste and ingenuity in the ceramic decoration of the nameless potters, all the examples selected being, with one exception, from vessels of the general form of Fig. 1. With but very few exceptions the ornamentation is on the inner surface, generally in the form of a band, from 1 inch to 4 or 5 inches in breadth, but in many cases it covers the entire inner surface. If the outside of the dish is painted it is iii the form of a simple narrow band, like Fig. 15. These dishes or bowls vary in size from 13 inches in diameter ( Fig. 9) to mere cups of only 5 inches ( Figs. 18, 19). The ware is dark gray and nearly white; hard and firm, giving a clear ringing sound when struck. It varies in thickness from ^ to f of an inch. Many of the specimens have a fine glossy glaze upon which the black design lies without any perceptible wearing away. Figs. 7, 8, 10, and 16 are good examples, all the others but a trifle less so. This is the more noteworthy from the fact that all have been exposed in open places to all the disintegrating influences of soil and climate for probably hundreds of years. Fig. 2 appears to have suffered the most, but the white ground has worn out, leaving the black design in relief. In some, as in Fig. 2, the design is jet black, running through intermediate shades of a reddish black when the color has run thin, down to where the design is quite faint; whether from the washing away of the paint or whether it was origiually so, would be hard to tell* Fig. 4 is a design that occurs frequently in the bottom of the dishes; we found half a dozen of the same general form. Circles with many radiating points, like a delineation of the sun, also occur quite often. In Fig. 21 we have the only example yet found from among the ancient pottery of any attempt at imitational ornament. As to what the figure is intended to represent would be rather difficult to decide satisfactorily . This fragment came from the upper canon of the Montezuma, and represents the inuer surface of the bowl; it is reduced to about one-third in the plate. Fig. 20 is evidently a portion of the neck of a jug or like vessel of the rough gray ware, of which Figs. 1 and 12 of Plate 21 are composed. It is another rude attempt in plastic material at the imitation of animal life, and evidently is intended for a frog. This comes also from the Montezuma Canon. |
