Origin: Dominican Republic Circa: 1000 AD to 1500 AD (piece was reproduced late 1800's).
Dimensions: 7.5" (19.0 cm) high 5.5" (14.0 cm) wide. Collection: Pre-Columbian. Material: Clay, terracotta, ceramic.
This intact pottery container is a heart-shaped bottle covered with complex iconography, including female and male attributes. The two lobes represent female breasts and the neck, a phallus. Scholars believe these vessels were water containers used in rituals and ceremonies. Taino artisans have invested many years of study to insure the authenticity of their work. Each piece is hand made and painted, ensuring that NO TWO are alike. **Please feel free to contact me if you require more photos or if you have a reasonable counter offer.
Origin history
The Taino people (indigenous Indians of the Caribbean) produced many different objects and vessels over a broad expanse of time that allowed for evolution of their form. Early examples are small in size and believed to have been privately owned, while later larger sculptures may have been used in public ceremony. Among the most abundant of artefacts attributed to the Pre-Columbian indigenous Taíno peoples, who populated the Bahamas, Antilles, and Lesser Antilles, were zemi three-pointer stones and these fertility vessels. They are revered for their unusual triangulated shape, cone- shaped apex and elaborate patterns. Zemis are often defined as everything which possesses magical powers, including deities and even skeletal remains. In fact, souls of the deceased were also identified as zemis. A prevalent image among them is that of this compelling face, with large, sunken eye sockets and a wide, toothless mouth. The Taino society was basically a gentle culture - in fact the word “Taino” means Good and Noble. Their society was characterized by happiness, friendliness and a paternal, highly organized hierarchy. After Columbus landed on the islands in 1492 their society declined. It is said 3 to 4 million of them were killed. They were not immune to European diseases, especially smallpox, and the Spanish worked them unmercifully in the mines and
Please feel free to contact me if you require more photos or if you have a reasonable counter offer.