Central Panama ca. 600–900 CE.
Striking polychrome pedestal tazza from the Gran Coclé tradition, beautifully painted in red and black on an orange‑tan ground. The wide, shallow bowl rises from a tall, flaring stem and broad foot, creating the classic “long‑necked fruitera” profile prized in Coclé ceramics. In the tondo, a dynamic mud‑fish or serpent‑like creature coils in continuous, sinuous curves within a circular framework, its body defined by multiple parallel contour lines and dotted elements that emphasize movement and vitality. The rim zone is articulated with alternating red and black panels, each accented by fine linear hatching.
Two small, modeled heads project on opposite sides of the rim, subtly breaking the circular outline and echoing the animated creature in the center. The exterior of the stem and foot is also painted, with bold, sweeping black tongues or flame‑like elements over a warm slip, visually anchoring the vessel and drawing the eye upward to the tondo scene. Rich manganese deposits and a softly worn surface testify to age and burial, enhancing the piece with a desirable, uncleaned character.
This iconography belongs to the aquatic and life‑stream imagery discussed by Lebbe in Guardians of the Life Stream, where mud‑fish and water serpents appear as powerful symbols of fertility, transformation, and the underworld waters that nourish life. The combination of complex interior painting, fully decorated stem, and applied heads makes this an especially expressive ritual serving or display vessel.
Approximate size: 7 in (17.8 cm) high x 10 1/2 in (26.7 cm) diameter. Condition: Plate intact; repairs to the stem; otherwise in very good condition with strong paint retention and attractive mineral encrustations.
Provenance: Pierce Thomas Williamson (15 March 1949 – 18 November 2025), of Tiverton, Rhode Island. Williamson was a graduate of De La Salle High School (Newport, RI) and of Rhode Island College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history and secondary education. He taught history at Tiverton High School for thirty-six years, ultimately serving as Chairman of the History Department, and was widely known among his students, colleagues, and community for his scholarly engagement with American and European history and for his ability to bring historical objects and events vividly into the classroom.
