Columbian Anthropomorphic "Chimila" Urn (c. 1100-1500 CE)

This is the lower half of an ancient terracotta burial urn made by the Tairona people of Columbia (c. 1100-1500 CE). Unfortunately the head is missing, but the body is in excellent condition and makes for an excellent statement piece!

Found in shaft tombs throughout what is now northwestern Colombia, urns such as this one were used by the Tairona people (who lived in the area that is present-day northern Colombia) to deposit the remains of their ancestors. As a result, the artists who created these large ceramic vessels had to carefully craft them by hand to ensure that the larger remains, such as the bones and skull, would fit through the opening after firing. Precious gold jewelry would also be deposited in such urns, perhaps as an offering to the afterlife. The Tairona people believed that this custom of burying remains in a womb-like ceramic body was akin to planting seeds back into the earth, so that new life could spring from the burial site.

DIMENSIONS:

9.25" H x 10" D (5" Jar Opening)

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