Fig. 397.--Pot: Arkansas (?).--1/3; Fig. 398.--Pot: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 397.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.Fig. 398.—Pot: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 397.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.Fig. 398.—Pot: Arkansas.—⅓.
In Fig. 398 we have one of the rudest examples in the collection. The neck is furnished with four handles, which alternate with four vertical ribs. The body is misshapen and rough, and is ornamented with a series of nearly vertical ridges, a rather usual device, and one which is sometimes very neatly executed.
The body of the nicely finished pot shown in Fig. 399 is embellished with short, incised markings, arranged in vertical lines. The neck is furnished with a heavy indented band and four strong handles. The locality given is "Four-Mile Bayou, Alabama."
The specimen given in Fig. 400 illustrates the use of great numbers of handles. In this case there are sixteen. They are gracefully formed and add much to the appearance of the vessel, which is really a bowl with wide, flaring rim. In most of its characters it resembles the pots.
Fig. 399.--Pot: Alabama (?).--1/3; Fig. 400.--Pot: Arkansas (?).--1/3.Fig. 399.—Pot: Alabama (?).—⅓.Fig. 400.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.
Fig. 399.—Pot: Alabama (?).—⅓.Fig. 400.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.
Another curious variation in the shape of handles is shown in the little cup given in Fig. 401. This can hardly be called a usual feature, although occurring in vessels of various localities. I have seen an example from the Missouri Valley in which a great number of perforated handles were set about the rim, and another in which there was a continuous, partially free, collar perforated at intervals. There is a specimen of this class in the Davenport Academy collection in which the flattened handles are so placed about the neck as to form a series of arches. These, I take it, are partially atrophied forms. The body is ornamented by a scale-like pattern of incised lines—a favorite method of decoration with the ancient potter.
Fig. 401.--Pot: Arkansas (?).--1/3; Fig. 402.--Pot: Arkansas (?).--1/3.Fig. 401.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.Fig. 402.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.
Fig. 401.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.Fig. 402.—Pot: Arkansas (?).—⅓.
In Fig. 402 we have an illustration of total atrophy. The handles are represented by simple incised lines. There is no relief whatever. In many cases the form of the handles is shown in low relief, the outer surface being plain or ornamented with incised lines or punctures. The body of the vessel last mentioned is covered with rudely incised scroll designs.
Another good illustration of this class of vessels is shown in Fig. 403.
The cut is taken from my paper in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology. The handles are indicated by incised lines. The body was ornamented by pinching up the clay between the nails of the thumb and forefinger. Locality: Pecan Point, Arkansas.
Fig. 403.--Pot: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 403.—Pot: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.[National Museum]
Fig. 403.—Pot: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
[National Museum]
Fig. 404.--Pot: Hale's Point, Tennessee.--1/3.Fig. 404.—Pot: Hale's Point, Tennessee.—⅓.
Fig. 404.—Pot: Hale's Point, Tennessee.—⅓.
A good example of the larger pots is illustrated in Fig. 404. It is engraved a little less than one-fourth the dimensions of the original. The height is seventeen inches and the greatest diameter eighteen inches. It is very well made. The walls are even and only moderately thick.The dark, unpolished surface is profusely speckled with fragments of white shell. There are four wide, strong handles. The rim and neck are ornamented with encircling lines of finger-nail indentations.
Fig. 405.--Pot: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 405.—Pot: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 405.—Pot: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
A masterpiece of this class of work is shown in Fig. 405. It was obtained at Pecan Point. It is not quite symmetrical in form but is carefully finished. The color is gray, with mottlings of dark spots, the result of firing. The height is eleven inches, and the aperture is ten inches in diameter. There are ten strong, well-proportioned handles, each having a knob resembling a rivet head, near the upper end. The margin of the rim has a circle of indentations. There are a few red vessels of this shape which have figures of reptiles attached to the neck.
Vessels of this class were probably not devoted to the ordinary uses of cooking and serving food. They are handsome in shape, tasteful in decoration, and generally of small dimensions. They are found, as are all other forms, buried with the dead, placed by the head or feet, or within reach of the hands. Their appearance is not suggestive of their original office, as there is no indication of wear, or of use over fire.
Form.—I include under this head a series of forms reaching fromthe wide-mouthed pot to the well-developed bottle. They really correspond closely to the high-necked bottles in all respects save in height of neck, and the separation is therefore for convenience of treatment only. The following illustration (Fig. 406) will give a good idea of the forms included.
Fig. 406.--Forms of jar-shaped bottles.Fig. 406.—Forms of jar-shaped bottles.
Fig. 406.—Forms of jar-shaped bottles.
There are also many eccentric and many extremely interesting life forms included in this group. A number of vases, modeled after the human head, are, by their general outline, properly included.
Ornamentation.—The rims, bodies, and bases are embellished much after the fashion of the vessels already described, with the exception that handles or handle-like appendages or ornaments seldom appear. The painted designs are in one, two, or three colors, and the incised figures have been executed both in the soft and in the thoroughly dried clay.
The style of execution is often of a very high order, especially in some of the more southerly examples, a number of which are from the mounds of Mississippi and Louisiana. We note the fact that in a few of the designs there is a slight suggestion of Mexican forms.
In illustrating this group, I am compelled, for the want of space to omit many interesting examples. I present only such as seem to me especially instructive.
Fig. 407.--Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.Fig. 407.—Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.
Fig. 407.—Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.
Illustrations.—Ordinary forms.—The vessel shown in Fig. 407 may be taken as a type of a very large class. It is most readily described as a short-necked, wide-mouthed bottle. It is symmetrical in shape and very nicely finished. The lip is supplied with a narrow, horizontal rim. The body expands somewhat abruptly from the base of the uprightneck to the squarish shoulder, and contracts below in an even curve, giving a hemispherical base. There are a multitude of variations from this outline, a few of which are suggested in Fig. 406. These vessels are nearly all of the dark, grayish-brown, fire-mottled ware. A few are yellowish, and such are often painted red or decorated with designs in red and white.
Fig. 408.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 408.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 408.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 409.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 409.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 409.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Two charming vases are shown in Figs. 408 and 409. The surface finish is in both cases very superior. The lines of the figures are carefully drawn, and seem to have been produced by the trailing, under even pressure, of a smooth rather blunt point. It is difficult to get so nicely finished and even a line by simple incision, or by excavating the clay. The design in Fig. 408 consists of eight groups of curved lines arranged in pairs, which are separated by plain vertical bands. It might be considered an interrupted or imperfectly connected form of the running scroll. This grouping of lines is frequently met with in the decorative designs of the Southern States. The design upon the other vase, Fig. 409, is still more characteristic of the South. It consists of an encircling row of round, shallow indentations, about which seriesof incised scrolls are linked, and of two additional rows of depressions, one above and the other below, through which parallel lines are drawn.
Many other interesting illustrations of the simpler forms could be given, but nearly all are very similar in their more important features to the examples that precede or follow.
As skilled as these peoples were in modeling life forms, and in engraving geometric devices, they seem rarely to have attempted the linear representation of life forms. We have, however, two very good examples.
Fig. 410.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas.Fig. 410.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas.
Fig. 410.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas.
The first of these is shown in outline in Fig. 410. It is a large bottle embellished with four rude drawings of the human figure, executed with a sharp point in the soft clay. Height of vessel, eight inches.
The work is characteristic of a very early stage of art. The figures could be duplicated in the work of the ancient Pueblos, and in the pictographic art of many of our savage tribes. They are probably derived from symbolic art, and possibly relate to the guardians of the four points of the compass, or to some similar mythical characters.
Fig. 411.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas.--3/4.Fig. 411.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas.—¾.
Fig. 411.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas.—¾.
Fig. 412.--Engraved design.--1/2.Fig. 412.—Engraved design.—½.
Fig. 412.—Engraved design.—½.
The work upon the neat little bottle, presented in Fig. 411, is of thesame class as the above but of a much higher grade, both in execution and conception. The engraved design is one of the most remarkable ever obtained from the mounds. It consists of two winged and crested rattlesnakes, which encircle the most expanded part of the vessel, and of two sunflower-like figures, alternating with them. These designs are very carefully engraved with a needle-like point, and are adjusted to the form of the vase in a way that suggests forethought and an appreciation of the decorative value of the figures. By dint of rubbings, photographs and sketches, I have obtained the complete drawing of the various figures which are given in Fig. 412 on a scale of one-half the original.
The serpent, especially the rattlesnake, has always taken a leading place in the mythology and the art of the more cultured American races, and crest-plumes, and wings have often been considered its proper attributes. The conventional method of representation is also characteristically aboriginal. The plumes, the figure connected with the eye, the bands upon the neck, the stepped figures of the body, and the semi-circular patches on the wings are all characters that appear again and again in the ancient art of the United States. The peculiar emblematic treatment of the heart is almost universal in temperate North America. And just here I may be permitted to suggest that the remarkable feature of the great earth-work serpent of Adams county, Ohio, which has been regarded as the "symbolic egg," and which in its latest phase has become the issue of a frog and the prey of the serpent, is possibly intended for the heart of the serpent, the so-called frog being the head. The rosette figures are not often duplicated in Indian art. There can be little doubt that the figures of this design are derived from mythology.
Eccentric forms.—A form of vessel of which civilized men make peculiar use is depicted in Fig. 413. There is a marked resemblance to a common tea-pot. A very few examples have been found, two of which are illustrated in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology. The specimen here given is well made and carefully finished. The neck is low and wide, and the body is a compressed sphere. The spout is placed upon one side and a low knob upon the other. The absence of a handle for grasping indicates that the vessel was probably not intended for boiling water. These characters are uniform in all the specimens that have come to my notice. Two small circular depressions occur on the sides of the vessel alternating with the spout and the knob and with these features form centers for four rosettes of involute incised lines. The origin of this form of vessel is suggested by a fine red piece from "Mississippi," now in the national collection. The knob is the head of a turtle or other full-bodied reptile, and the spout takes the place of the creature's tail. Many of the animal-shaped vases would resemble this form closely if an opening were made through the top of the body and through the tail.
Fig. 413.--Teapot-shaped vessel: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 413.—Teapot-shaped vessel: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 413.—Teapot-shaped vessel: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 414.--Vessel of eccentric form: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 414.—Vessel of eccentric form: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 414.—Vessel of eccentric form: Arkansas.—⅓.
In connection with the teapot-like vessels it will be well to describe another novel form not wholly unlike them in appearance, an examplebeing shown in Fig. 414. The shoulder is elongated on opposite sides into two curved, horn-like cones, which give to the body a somewhat crescent-shaped outline. It is of the ordinary plain, dark ware, and has had a low stand or base which is now broken away.
The specimen given in Fig. 415 has been considerably mutilated, but evidently belongs to the same class as the preceding. It probably also resembled the vessel which follows; it serves at least as a link between the two. The body is ornamented with carelessly drawn, deeply incised, involute designs.
Fig. 415.--Vessel of eccentric form: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 415.—Vessel of eccentric form: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 415.—Vessel of eccentric form: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 416.--Animal-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 416.—Animal-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 416.—Animal-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
Life forms.—A further elaboration of the preceding forms is illustrated in Fig. 416. On one side the conical projection is greatly elongated and fashioned to resemble the head of some grotesque beast, with horns, expanded nostrils, and grinning mouth. The opposite point is elongated and looped, forming a tail, while the base of the body is furnished with four feet. On the sides of the vessel are engraved figures, consisting of clusters of involute lines, as in the specimen just given. It is of the ordinary dark pottery, and was obtained at Pecan Point.
Equally noteworthy as plastic representations are the two examples that follow. The vessel shown in Fig. 417 is modeled in imitation of a sunfish. The body is much flattened and is neatly polished. The head is well modeled, as are also the fins and tail. Many examples of this form are found, some of which are elaborately treated, the scales being minutely shown. The body of the fish is sometimes placed in the natural upright position, the neck of the vessel rising from the back, producing a lenticular shape.
Fig. 417.--Sunfish vase: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 417.—Sunfish vase: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 417.—Sunfish vase: Arkansas.—⅓.
The animal so carefully modeled in the vessel given in Fig. 418 resembles a raccoon or an opossum. The mouth of the vessel is wide and the neck upright and short. The body is ornamented with a pattern made up of triangular groups of incised lines, which may or may not be meant for hair.
Fig. 418.--Opossum vase: Arkansas.--2/3.Fig. 418.—Opossum vase: Arkansas.—⅔.
Fig. 418.—Opossum vase: Arkansas.—⅔.
The love of modeling life forms shows itself again in the little vase illustrated in Fig. 419. The head of some animal, rudely suggested, projects from one side, while a curved tail on the other carries out theidea of the complete creature. The round body is decorated with broad vertical lines in dark red. A red line encircles the rim.
Fig. 419.--Animal-shaped vase: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 419.—Animal-shaped vase: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 419.—Animal-shaped vase: Arkansas.—⅓.
It is not strange that a people who had successfully engaged in the modeling of life forms, and especially the heads of animals, should attempt the human head. Their remarkable success in this direction is shown in a number of vases, one of which is given in Fig. 420. This and kindred peoples had made considerable progress in carving in stone and other materials, evincing a decided talent for sculpture; but clay is so much more readily manipulated than either wood, stone, or shell, that we are not surprised to find their best work in that material.
It is an interesting fact that with all this cleverness in the handling of clay, and in the delineation of varied models, the art had not freed itself from the parent stem—the vessel—and launched out into an independent field. In a few cases such an end seems to have been achieved by certain groups of mound builders, notably those whose works at Madisonville, Ohio, have recently been explored by Professor Putnam. Modeling in clay was probably confined to vessels for the reason that, through their humble agency, the art was developed.
Up to the present time I have met with but eight of these curious head-shaped vases. All were obtained from the vicinity of Pecan Point, Arkansas, and, like other vessels, have been associated with human remains in graves or mounds. It is true that in all cases the bones of the dead have not been found, but this only indicates their complete decay. The question as to whether or not these vases were made exclusively for sepulchral purposes must remain unanswered; there is no source of information upon the subject. Such a purpose is, however, suggested in this case by the semblance of death given to the faces.
The finest example yet found is shown in Fig. 420. In form it is a simple head, five inches in height and five inches wide from ear to ear. The aperture of the vase is in the crown, and is surrounded by a low, upright rim, slightly recurved. The cavity is roughly finished, and follows pretty closely the contour of the exterior surface, excepting in projecting features such as the ears, lips, and nose. The walls are generallyfrom one-eighth, to one-fourth of an inch in thickness, the base being about three-eighths. The bottom is flat, and takes the level of the chin and jaws.
The material does not differ from that of the other vessels of the same locality. There is a large percentage of shell, some particles of which are quite large. The paste is yellowish gray in color and rather coarse in texture. The vase was modeled in the plain clay and permitted to harden before the devices were engraved. After this a thick film of fine yellowish-gray clay was applied to the face, partially filling up the engraved lines. The remainder of the surface, including the lips, received a thick coat of dark red paint. The whole surface was then highly polished.
Fig. 420.--Head-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/2Fig. 420.—Head-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—½.
Fig. 420.—Head-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—½.
The illustration will convey a more vivid conception of this striking head than any description that can be given. The face cannot be said to have a single feature strongly characteristic of Indian physiognomy. We have instead the round forehead and the projecting mouth of the African. The nose, however, is small and the nostrils are narrow. The face would seem to be that of a youngish person, perhaps a female. The features are all well modeled, and are so decidedly individual in character that the artist must have had in his mind a pretty definite conception of the face to be produced as well as of the expression appropriateto it, before beginning his work. It will be impossible, however, to prove that the portrait of a particular personage was intended. The closed eyes, the rather sunken nose, and the parted lips were certainly intended to give the effect of death. The ears are large, correctly placed, and well modeled; they are perforated all along the margin, thus revealing a practice of the people to whom they referred. The septum of the nose appears to have been pierced, and the horizontal depression across the upper lip may indicate the former presence of a suspended ornament.
Fig. 421.--The engraved figures.Fig. 421.—The engraved figures.
Fig. 421.—The engraved figures.
Fig. 422.--Head covering.Fig. 422.—Head covering.
Fig. 422.—Head covering.
Perhaps the most unique and striking feature is the pattern of incised lines that covers the greater part of the face. The lines are deeply engraved and somewhat "scratchy," and were apparently executed in the hardened clay before the slip was applied. The left side of the face is plain, with the exception of a figure somewhat resembling a grappling hook in outline which partially surrounds the eye. The right side is covered with a comb-like pattern, placed vertically, with the teeth upwards. The middle of the forehead has a series ofvertical lines and a few short horizontal ones just above the root of the nose. There are also three curved lines near the corner of the mouth not shown in the cut.
The diagram presented herewith (Fig. 421) gives in dotted lines the correct outline of the front face, and shows projected in solid lines the engraved figures. The significance of these markings can only be surmised in the most general way. Their function is probably the same as that of the tattooed and painted figures upon the faces of living races.
It will be well to observe that upon the forehead, at the top, there is a small perforated knob or loop. Similar appendages may be seen upon many of the clay human heads from this valley. A Mexican terra-cotta head now in the museum at Mexico has a like feature, and, at the same time, has closed eyes and an open mouth.
The head dress should be noticed. It seems to have been modeled after a cloth or skin cap. It extends over the forehead, falls back over the back of the head, and terminates in points behind, as seen in Fig. 422. Two layers of the material are represented, the one broad, the other narrow and pointed, both being raised a little above the surface upon which they rest. This vase head is somewhat smaller than the average human head.
Fig. 423.--Head-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/2Fig. 423.—Head-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—½.[National Museum.]
Fig. 423.—Head-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—½.
[National Museum.]
Another of a very similar character now in the Davenport Museum is about one-half the size of this. The face is much mutilated.
A third is somewhat larger than the one illustrated, but is nearly thesame in finish and color. The face also has the semblance of death, but the features are different, possessing very decided Indian characteristics. There is no tattooing.
All of these heads, including also some of those in the National Museum, are much alike in conception and execution.
This fact will be forcibly impressed upon the mind by a study of Fig. 423, which represents a specimen recently exhumed at Pecan Point by agents of the Bureau of Ethnology. In size, form, color, finish, modeling of features, and expression, this head closely resembles the one first described. The work is not quite so carefully executed and the head has probably not such pronounced individuality. The curious device that in the other example appeared near the left eye here occurs on both sides. The lower part of the face is elaborately engraved. Three lines cross the upper lip and cheeks, reaching to the ear; a band of fret-like devices extends across the mouth to the base of the ears, and another band filled in with oblique reticulated lines passes around the chin and along the jaws. The ears are perforated as in the other case and the septum of the nose is partially broken away as if it had once held a ring. A perforated knob has occupied the top of the forehead as in the other case. The face is coated with a light yellowish gray slip, and the remainder of the surface is red.
Fig. 424.--Head-shaped vase: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 424.—Head-shaped vase: Arkansas.—⅓.[Thibault Collection.]
Fig. 424.—Head-shaped vase: Arkansas.—⅓.
[Thibault Collection.]
Fig. 424 illustrates a very interesting specimen of the red pottery of Arkansas. It belongs to the collection of Mr. Thibault, of Little Rock, and was obtained from a mound in the vicinity of that city. The body is slightly lenticular and the human face, which is modeled upon oneside, interferes but little with the outline. The face is slightly relieved and extends from the neck of the vase to the widest part of the body, and laterally occupies about one-third of the circumference. The middle portion of the face is finished with a light flesh-colored slip, the remainder of the surface of the vessel being painted a bright rich red. Like the preceding example, the countenance is made to give the appearance of death or sleep. Other face-vessels of scarcely less interest are found in the Thibault collection.
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.
Fig. 425.--Scale of forms.Fig. 425.—Scale of forms.
Fig. 425.—Scale of forms.
Fig. 426.--Tripods.Fig. 426.—Tripods.
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 birdsmodeled 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 ata, Fig. 427; double bands, as shown inbandc; or perforated feet, as seen ind.
Fig. 427.--Stands.Fig. 427.—Stands.
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.
Fig. 428.--Compound forms.Fig. 428.—Compound forms.
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.
Fig. 429.--Adaptation of the human form.Fig. 429.—Adaptation of the human form.
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.
Fig. 430.--Bottle: Tennessee.--1/3.Fig. 430.—Bottle: Tennessee.—⅓.
Fig. 430.—Bottle: Tennessee.—⅓.
Fig. 431.--Gourd-shaped vessel: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 431.—Gourd-shaped vessel: Arkansas.—⅓.[National Museum.]
Fig. 431.—Gourd-shaped vessel: Arkansas.—⅓.
[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. Theneck 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 Archæology of Missouri. The markings of the original are often shown with a great deal of truthfulness in the earthenware reproductions.
Fig. 432.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 432.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 432.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 433.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 433.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.[National Museum.]
Fig. 433.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
[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.
Fig. 434.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/2.Fig. 434.—Bottle: Arkansas.—½.[National Museum.]
Fig. 434.—Bottle: Arkansas.—½.
[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 andthe 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.
Fig. 435.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 435.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.[National Museum.]
Fig. 435.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
[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.
Fig. 436.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 436.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 436.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
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.
Fig. 437.--Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 437.—Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 437.—Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.—⅓.
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 compressedvertically. 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 Archæology of Missouri.
Fig. 438.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 438.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 438.—Bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
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.
Fig. 439.--Fluted bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.Fig. 439.—Fluted bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 439.—Fluted bottle: Arkansas.—⅓.
Fig. 440.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas. (?)--1/3.Fig. 440.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas. (?)—⅓.
Fig. 440.—Engraved bottle: Arkansas. (?)—⅓.
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 isnot 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.
Fig. 441.--Tripod bottle: Arkansas.(?)--1/3.Fig. 441.—Tripod bottle: Arkansas.(?)—⅓.
Fig. 441.—Tripod bottle: Arkansas.(?)—⅓.
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 indicatedon 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.