jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Feb 10, 2016 10:05:57 GMT -5
From "Indians and Artifacts in the Southeast" Bert W. Bierer. A great deal of info about pottery in this book. Pottery greatly assisted aging artifacts in serving as a fingerprint to the culture. Some pottery designs and uses. Guessing you have a stamp for the first illustration-punctates. Comprehensive book reveals nothing about stamps so far. Wood paddle stamps do exist. Photo to Smithsonian best bet rockpickerforever, if that is a stamp it may be very valuable/rare. Pottery was not always used in the kitchen. And death was not always natural. Etowah Culture and others, child/human sacrifice. Must be our heat and humidity:
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Feb 10, 2016 10:25:59 GMT -5
Mound culture in eastern US
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Post by radio on Feb 11, 2016 8:53:09 GMT -5
Cool find!! I'm going with the stamp/imprint theory rather than a scrubber of some type Even back then I'm thinking they would offset every other bump to make scrubbing more efficient.
Several years ago while hunting on a huge ranch in Arizona, I paused to water a tree and spotted what I thought was a piece of a terra cotta pot someone had used for target practice. I flipped it over with my boot and my jaw dropped when I saw a faded pattern on the other side! I started looking around and there were pieces lying all over the place! most were only a couple inches across and were not all that close to each other to suggest a pot that was dropped or destroyed at that spot.
I always wondered when, how and why they ended up in such a desolate place with no obvious shelter or water near by
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Post by tims on Feb 11, 2016 9:57:21 GMT -5
That swift creek piece looks astronomical to me. Reminds me of Starry Night.
I like the stamp theory re OP. Doubt fired clay would hold up to grinding. Really neat piece and fun to theorize on.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Feb 11, 2016 18:31:36 GMT -5
This photo shows the texture of eastern clays after being fired. Maybe that is typical of pottery across the country. But is a dead ringer for what is found around here.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Feb 11, 2016 18:36:17 GMT -5
Another thing. project the missing pieces top right and lower left. Forms a trapezoid. A trapezoid would allow them to stamp the entire surface without gaps by rotating it 180 degrees each stamping.
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Intheswamp
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Post by Intheswamp on Feb 11, 2016 19:59:26 GMT -5
Another thing. project the missing pieces top right and lower left. Forms a trapezoid. A trapezoid would allow them to stamp the entire surface without gaps by rotating it 180 degrees each stamping. Good point, James.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on Feb 20, 2016 7:51:21 GMT -5
[/p]Ok, I'm letting you know. I might be off my meds but... When I look at each individual triangle I see a portrait of a person. Really. A waist-up portrait with the right arm folded over in front of them. Possibly sitting in front of a triangular window. Ok...I let you know! [/quote] I think you may have hit the nail on the head with this. Your saying that triggered my familiarity with certain buddhist art. This thangka (wall-hanging) has a background of - a buddhist would say ten thousand - but that is representative of numerous / myriad / innumerable - boddhisattvas. They were followers of buddha who, on finding enlightenment, rather than enter nirvana have elected to stay behind to assist others to find the way... This picture may not be so clear that there are boddhisattvas, but you'll get the impression that is consistent with the artifact: and this one is more clear: The Boddhisattvas are sitting in the lotus position (usually seated on a lotus); one hand over the other or sometimes touching the earth to remain rooted (down-to-earth). So in summary, I believe you have a buddhist artifact; from the look of it, imho probably Tibetan since Buddhist imagist art proliferated in Tibet although northern Indian Buddhism predates Tibetan.
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Intheswamp
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Post by Intheswamp on Feb 20, 2016 12:25:07 GMT -5
So, we had Buddhist Native American Indians....that would've had to have been in New York City, though, you know...the great "melting pot". Maybe you're on to something. I'm thinking it's a hand-stamp, though, as jamesp pointed to. But, I'm open in considering most any idea about this...I certainly wasn't there when it was made/used to ascertain it's function or what those little shapes were. Did the buddhist make pottery with these shapes in them or just painted art? It would be interesting to see some buddhist pottery.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Feb 20, 2016 14:23:27 GMT -5
Been meaning to comment on your "vision," Ed. (Been busy, don't ask.) I see it too.
metalsmith , I am sure you are on to something! The artifact is currently in a safe place (collecting dust, I might add ). I hope to take it to the Museum of Man to get their opinion soon!
Thank you everyone for your input! With your help, we'll get this sorted out.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on Feb 20, 2016 15:28:59 GMT -5
Chinese Buddhist stele 386–535 CE Link to pageQuote: "The stele’s repetitive pattern is known as the “Thousand Buddhas” (qianfo), characterized by rows of small Buddha figures on the front and back. It’s one of the most important motifs in Northern Wei Buddhist art." Somewhat ironically, 8,000 pine buddhas prior to being moved to the 10,000 Buddha garden: 1,000 Buddha stele Another 1,000 Buddha stele Ditto ... there's a thousand of these things out there - or ten. I'll stop there.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on Feb 20, 2016 15:31:27 GMT -5
So, we had Buddhist Native American Indians....that would've had to have been in New York City, though, you know...the great "melting pot". If one could transcend worlds & universes, what's a continent?
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Intheswamp
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Post by Intheswamp on Feb 20, 2016 19:47:45 GMT -5
I guess it'd still be a large land mass one of the seven largest land masses on the earth... ?? Thanks for posting the pottery...could be. Being as it was bought at a swapmeet, it's origin may be forever a secret. Looking at it again it kinda reminds me of part of a hand operated corn sheller.
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