Nayarit Lidded Tripod Vessel

Red and cream stripes run around a pot that sits on three short legs.

This lidded tripod vessel is Nayarit, from West Mexico, and dates to 400 BCE to 300 CE. It is terra cotta. West Mexican potters of this period are generally known for modeled and painted vessels, many placed in shaft tombs. This one is a squat, rounded body on three stub legs, with a small face and a knob like nose forming the top of the lid. Two looped arms curve out from the sides. Chevrons in red and cream cover the body, and a fine crack marks the join of lid and base. It is 3 inches wide, 3.5 deep and 4 high.

Striped, short legged, and very pleased about both.