158 CONVENTIONALISM 



pods, the human face, and the face combined with the 

 serpent, moulded on the burial jars, although other forms 

 are treated in an interesting manner. 



THE ANIMAL HEAD ON POTTERY FROM TENNESSEE. 



An illustration of conventionalism, as seen in the pot- 

 tery from the stone-graves of Tennessee, is shown in the 

 figures on Plate I. 



Figures 1 and 2 are of a vessel, rudely realistic, repre- 

 senting the head of an animal. As vessels in every way 

 similar to this are found among the Missouri pottery, it is 

 probable that this form had a single origin. The treat- 

 ment here given to this animal head has resulted in an uu- 

 symmetrical vessel of rude form, not at all pleasing to the 

 eye. An attempt to correct this lack of symmetry is 

 shown in figure 4, in which the ears have been pushed back 

 and the eyes forward, while to offset the nose and mouth 

 on the front, a knob, which we may call a tail, has been 

 placed opposite ; but still we cannot say that the effect is 

 pleasing, for here we observe the absence of the natural 

 relation of parts without compensation in other ways. 



In the next vessel, figure 3, we see a higher expression, 

 and realism has slightty given way to the desire for sym- 

 metry. Here we see the effort to make a symmetrical 

 vessel and also to add two handles, while at the same time 

 the character of the animal head is retained. The nose, 

 eyes and ears are represented, on each side of the vessel, 

 in a row from handle to handle. 



In figures 5 and 6, the nose and mouth form the central 

 object on one-half of the vessel, with an eye on each side. 

 On the opposite half, the tail and an ear on each side 

 are the balancing features, and a handle is placed in the 

 centre between the eye and ear on each side. 



