*Coupe circulaire à décor polychrome

representing a reptile. This deep offering cup is decorated on the outside with a polychrome painting representing a stylized reptile (crocodile, alligator, caiman). The head of the animal is long, the mouth is open, the jaws are imposing and reveal perfectly interlocking fangs. The upper jaw is dark red, while the lower jaw is orange. The eye is half closed, the drooping eyelid is signified by a striated semicircle. The long, curved tail, brown to black in colour, curls into a cup shape. The dorsal and ventral scales that form the reptile's armour are represented by brown lines on the top and white markings on the body. The orange-painted legs are bent and have long claws. Between the two, the belly is highlighted with a wide dark red band. In the centre of the bowl, a circle, also red, delimits the flat part that serves as its base. The inner wall of the bowl is decorated with motifs reminiscent of wickerwork. This bowl is a very fine example of Veracruz ceramics, described by the ethnologist Miguel Covarrubias (1904-1957) as "powerful and expressive, with a charm and sensitivity unprecedented in other more formal cultures. Beige terracotta with dark brown, red, orange and light decoration Los Tuxtlas - Veracruz - Mexico, 550 - 750 AD 8.2 x 21 cm Provenance : - Former Yvon Collet collection since 1968 - Former collection N. Bergier,1996 Micro-crack on 10 cm approximately *Ce lot est présenté en importation temporaire