162 ABORIGINAL POITERY OF EASTERN UNITED STATJ:S rETii,Axx.20 



Color. Form, and Size 



The colors of this ware are the cok)rs of the bakedclay; where it 

 has not changed ])y use or age, grays of yellowish and ivddish tones, 

 rarely approaching a terra cotta, prevail. 



In the matter of size these vessels have not the wide range of the 

 more southern varieties. There are verj' few large pieces, and few 

 very small ones. A height or diameter exceeding 12 inches is unusual. 

 Small toy-like cups are occasionally found. 



To the student of the many and varied ceramic groups of alioriginal 

 America, a most notahle feature of this, and of the Algontjuian ware as 

 well, is the marked simplicity of the forms. As the vessels were based 

 on .simple models and employed for a limited range of uses, there has 

 been little tendency toward elaboration or differentiation of shape. 

 The art as practiced here nmst have been still very near its origin — 

 young as compared with the potter's ai't in the South. The only form 

 prototypes that appear, and these are strongly suggested liy the shapes 

 of the vases, are the bark vessels and 1)askets in common use in the 

 region. All are forms of use, yet a certain rude gi'ace characterizes 

 the outlines. The narrow limitations of form are indicated by the 

 absence or rarity of bottles, ))owls, plates, animal tigures, compound 

 shapes, Hat bottoms, handles, feet, and pedestal-like additions. 



Ornament — Plastic. Incised, and Relieved 



The decoration of Iroquoiau earthenware is simple in execution, and 

 limited in range of subject matter, indicating a people yet near the 

 threshold of their esthetic career. This archaic simplicity is not so 

 j)ronounced, however, in the treatment of plastic details as it is in the 

 linear designs. 



The forms of vessels are considerably varied within a limited range, 

 and convey' the notion, in man\' cases, that the makers liad conceptions 

 akin to our own with respect to proportion and grace; yet we are 

 unable to say how nmch these qualities are due to suggestions acting 

 within the art, and how much is the result of conscious appreciation of 

 the esthetic in contour. Forms of tobacco pipes are often interest- 

 ing and graceful. Nearlj' all are modifications of the trumpet shape, 

 and the representations of living creatures so freely employed are 

 generally added without serious detriment to the fundamental shape. 

 The jDlastic additions to vases are also executed in a way to indicate the 

 existence of restricting forces, traditional, esthetic, or otherwise, tend- 

 ing to hold the potter to simple, consistent models. This is in sti'ong 

 contrast with the employment of life f eatui-es by the potters of the mid- 

 dle and southern provinces, where variety is endless and consistency is 

 often disregarded. The rim-collar or frieze is often divided into two. 

 three, or four parts by salients or ridges, and the modeled lifc-sjiapes 



