98 ANCIENT ART OF THE TKOVINCE OF CHIRIQUI. 



rather uncouth look observed in so many casrs. the legs being too 

 long and too heavy to please the cultured tastr; y,t in many cases the 

 parts are so adjusted as to give an impression of tirmuess and strength, 

 united with a goodly share of grace of line. 



The legs are very generally modeled to represent animal forms. 

 In a majority of cases the fish was chosen becausi'. ]itrliaps. its shape 

 was suitable or because the fish bore some nlalidii i>> the use to 

 which the vessel was to be devoted. Lizards and iiiammaJs are also 

 seen and the human form occasionally appears. In some cases the 

 animal figure is attached to the upper part of the leg or is perched 

 upon the hip, where that feature is pronounced. The body, or 

 shaft, is hollow and contains pellets of clay, sometimes one only and 

 again a dozen or more, and in order that these may be seen and heard 

 variously shaped slits are cut in the sides or front of the legs. If the 

 animal represented is a fish or lizard the entire body is modeled: the 

 head is placed at the top, the under jaw or neck uniting with the 

 body of the vessel; the tail rests tipouthe ground, and the fins or legs 

 appear along the sides of the shaft. It should be observed that, while 

 in Chiriqui the whole body of the creature is usually employed in 

 forming the support, in Central America and Mexico the head alone 

 is very generally used, the nose resting iipon the ground. In less 

 elaborate forms the legs are plain or have the merest hint of animal 

 form in a node, a notched ridge, or a slightly modified extremity. 



Handles are present in a majority of cases and as in the preceding 

 group take the form of loops or represent the forms of animals. The 

 loops are generally attached in a vertical position, connecting the 

 shoulder with the lip of the vessel, and are plain round ropes of clay 

 or consist of two or three cords twisted or plaited together. A few 

 eccentric forms occiir and are illustrated early in this section. 



The animal shapes are often quite elaborate and appear to bear no 

 relation to the creatures embodied in the legs of the vessel ; neither 

 does the position of the handles bear any uniform relation to the 

 positions of the legs — another indication that the latter features are 

 recent acquisitions, since features developed together are uniformly 

 well adjusted. 



The rim or lip is generally heavy and flaring, and the neck, which 

 is short and pretty sharply constricted, is decorated with incised 

 patterns and with various applied ornaments in relief. The body is 

 graceful in outline and more or less conical below. As a rule the 

 siirface is uneven and but slightly polished and the figures in red are 

 rudely execiited, but in the more pretentious pieces much care has 

 been exercised in finishing and painting. Most of the vessels have 

 been used over the fire and still retain the sooty incrustations. This 

 ware comes from a wide range of territory to the north and west of 

 David. 



The following illustrations represent some of the more important 



