THE LOST COLOR GROUP. 



the neck of the buzzard, as well as the rim and external surface of the vessel 

 that is to say, the feathered neck and body of the bird were originally painted 

 red, with the exception of a triangular area on the bottom bounded by the tripod 

 supports, which like the buzzard's head and the interior of the vessel is pale brick- 

 red, the color of the paste after firing. The painted portions are everywhere 

 decorated with groups of parallel straight bands that meet at various angles. The 

 supports are banded horizontally. 



The lost color group is characterized by a prodigality of external ornamentation, 

 even the bottom of the vase, which would be invisible under ordinary circum- 

 stances, coming in for its share. One would expect to find a decorative design 

 on the easily visible interior of the open shallow bowl reproduced in figure c. 

 The margin of the rim and the interior are given a uniform coat of red, there 

 being absolutely no traces of black over a waxed pattern. With the exception 

 of the legs, the whole outer surface, however, including the bottom, is elaborately 

 decorated. The original ground of the sloping sides is a light cream slip ; that 

 of the bottom is a red paint. The spool-shaped ornament accompanied by a pair 

 of eyes is repeated so as to divide the light zone into five panels. These are 

 each crossed vertically by three groups of parallel bands, the group on the left 

 in each case being somewhat smaller than the other two groups. The decorative 

 unit, therefore, is the spool-head and eyes and three groups of bands, in other 

 words, the head and body of an animal. If an animal form, then the most plau- 

 sible interpretation of the banded body is that it represents the carapace of the 

 armadillo. The pattern in red on the bottom consists of series of curved bands 

 grouped about the bases of the tripod supports, and might be described as a 

 modified trefoil. 



The neck in figure d being only slightly constricted is sufficient reason for not 

 painting the interior. The rim and bottom, including the legs, are red and the 

 shoulder is finished in a light salmon slip still visible through the black inter- 

 spaces in the design. Six groups of narrow vertical bands alternate with as many 

 labret- or spool-shaped ornaments. Three of these are on end and three placed 

 horizontally. Each is accompanied by a pair of eye ornaments. The spool-shaped 

 figure thus suggests the head and nose of some animal. There is a group of 

 bands for each head. Therefore, the whole is intended to represent an animal, 

 presumably the armadillo (see fig. c). 



That the interior of the shallow tripod bowl shown in figure e was treated by 

 the lost color process, there can be no doubt, because of the preservation of the 

 black paint. The design is pleasing and bilaterally symmetrical. Traces of black 

 are also found on the rim, which was originally red. When painted at all, the 

 interiors of the lost color group are always colored red. The modified trefoil 

 pattern on the red bottom is similar to that shown in figure c. It may be that 

 the painted interiors of all the shallow bowls of this group were treated to wax 

 and black paint, as was the case in the last bowl described. There are very 

 faint traces of black bands on the interior of a large shallow tripod bowl from 

 Escaria. 



In figure /, the interior of the tripod bowl, being easily visible, is painted (red) 

 and highly polished. If it was ever decorated with a pattern of black over wax, 



