Posted 6 years ago
nicandjo
(2 items)
A group of handmade and hand-painted pottery bowls from the Shipibo-Conibo people of Peru. There are three bowls in the group, all made of a red earthenware clay, featuring similar designs. All have round, footed bases, and wide mouths and curved sides, and the interiors are rubbed to a dull sheen. When gently shaken, the bowls make a rattle sound. Two of the bowls have hand-painted black symbols to the interiors and the third does not. All three have a cream colored glaze on the exteriors with very similar designs of thin black lines in geometric patterns, with thicker lines of black and orange. The bowl without the interior decoration is painted cream on the underside, with a cross and arrow motif, and it rests on four very shallow, rounded feet. The two bowls with the interior decorations appear to be by the same artisan. The undersides of these two bowls are more flat and unfinished, though some of the thicker orange line patterns end on the undersides. None are signed.
Does anyone know from what time period these are most likely from?
Pottery with decoration wasn't made by the Shipibo until after World War II. Before that they only made undecorated pottery for their own use. After the war, missionaries suggested that they decorate pottery using traditional designs found on their textiles, and thus try to attract sales for the tourist trade, to provide a much-needed source of income for the tribe.
It proved successful, and is still being made today. The decorated pottery looks old, but can't be any older that post-WWII, and the bowl with the "feet" was probably made very recently.