Old West & Native American Auction
Lot 1098:
Description
This remarkable terracotta flask, or askos, is a perfect example of mid-20th-century Mexican tourist pottery, likely emanating from a major artistic center such as Tonalá or Tlaquepaque in Jalisco, which catered heavily to American travelers. These souvenir pieces often feature a deliberate and fascinating blend of influences: the globular canteen form echoes ancient Greek or Roman askoi and local pre-Columbian water vessels, while the decorative motifs combine the classical Greek Key or meander pattern with polychrome figurative elements inspired by Aztec or Mayan profiles. The style is an excellent crossover piece, possessing a finish and color palette that also allowed it to appeal to the popular Southwestern American décor market. This particular piece is boldly hand-painted with a central profile bust wearing a feathered headdress on one side, and a stylized ram or animal figure on the reverse, all in a traditional red, black, white, and blue-gray palette. It includes an integrated loop handle and a narrow spout plugged with a cork. The vessel is in good, commensurate-with-age condition, displaying significant wear that is desirable in folk art of this type, including notable surface abrasions, paint loss, and small chips, particularly on the relief figures and along the edges, confirming its life as a well-traveled souvenir. H 8.5″, W 6.25″, D 3.25″. From the Native American display in Donley’s Wild West Town.
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