82 



A STUDY OF CHIRIQUIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



twisted on the other (see PL XIII, figs, a, b and e; PI. XXII, figs, e and /). As 

 far as Chiriquian art is concerned, all may have been derived from the armadillo 

 carapace. 



The hollow tripod supports are generally provided with long median slits, 

 through which may be seen the movable pellets serving as rattles, one to each 



support being the rule. The 

 shape of the plain leg is often 

 such as to resemble the body 

 of a fish. A pointed hip 

 (PI. XXII, fig. d) or a lateral 

 flattening at the free end 

 (PI. XXII, fig. e) makes the 

 resemblance even more strik- 

 ing. To aid the imagination 

 further, incisions are made on 

 the pointed hip to represent 

 the mouth of the fish (fig. 134). 

 Two twisted strands form each 

 handle. A fillet incised hori- 

 zontally and broken at the 

 handles ornaments the neck. 

 With the addition of eyes 

 and fins, the image is complete, 

 as is the case in figure 135, 

 where pectoral, ventral, cau- 

 dal and dorsal fins are all 

 present. To save one dorsal fin, the median 

 slit is bridged, while the other dorsal fin is 

 pushed forward to a point almost between 

 the eyes. The mouth is slightly open, show- 

 ing teeth. Each handle is skilfully fashioned 

 into a monster with human body and head 

 of a bear or jaguar. This may be the jaguar- 

 god, which is described in the chapter deal- 

 ing with the alligator ware and of which 

 there are fine examples among the gold 

 ornaments. The hands support the lower 

 jaw. The bowl of this tripod is typical 

 for the group, with its shallow bottom, large 

 orifice, and recurved rim, every portion of 

 which is in the same horizontal plane - 

 the urn-shaped bowl par excellence. 



The urn-shaped bowl is repeated in figure 136. The handles, however, are 

 plain. The long median slit leaves room for but a single dorsal fin, which is 

 placed forward between the eyes. Teeth are represented by short incisions at 

 right angles to the slightly open mouth. This vessel is not painted, neither are 



Fig. 135. Tripod, the legs of which are realistic representations of 

 the fish. The half-human monsters serving as handles may re- 

 present the jaguar-god. Fish ware '/ J 



Fig. 136. Tripod with plain handles and fishlike 

 supports. Fish ware. '/> 



