Nayarit Ceramic Figural Vessel

The neck of the jar is also a small man's head, and the spout he wears like a tall hat.

This figural vessel is Nayarit, from Mexico, and dates to 400 BCE to 300 CE. It is terra cotta. Nayarit belongs to the West Mexican shaft tomb tradition, in which ceramic figures and vessels were placed in deep tombs. A squat, round-bellied jar with two loop handles rises to a neck modeled as a man's head, with heavy brows, a broad nose and ears at each side, under a flared spout. The shoulder is covered with rows of applied pellets and crescents, giving it a nubbly texture. It is 5.5 inches wide and 4.75 high.

Part pot, part portrait, wholly sure of itself.