Mystery Object, figural earthenware kettle.

The recent Guess the Value thread and the auctioneers mistake with a lot reminds me that I still have no more than a hazy idea of what this might be and where it might come from.

There have been many new members since this first got a brief showing, so I wonder if anyone has any ideas about this thing.

My only idea is possibly Spanish or Spanish American.

It is pretty crude.









The apparent 'lid' is solid with the body. The only entrance or exit is the 'mouth'.

It is typical kettle sized.

 

I'd agree on South American. Maybe for something like yerba mate?

 

I could not find any Mate pots like this. That was my first idea.

It's one of those things once seen never forgotten

 

Yes, the vibe is South American for me, because of the shape and the hat, especially... BUTTTTT... recently in a thread about a small painting with a costume like that and apparent fires in the sky. Can't find the thread, but Springfield provided ideas and pictures supporting a South American volcano origin. Another member provided phtots and an argument for the painting being POLISH, due to the very similar costumes, believe it or not. ANYWAY, the reason I'm saying all this is that since this item was most recently "discovered" in England (right?) I wonder if we ought to consider Poland again? Are South American potteries popular/common in Europe? If so... NEVERMIND!!!!

 

Good point, Miss Monster ( ;-) ), but the owner had a penchant for buying American objects, North and South. Just about nothing continental European in the Hoard.

 

Well, thank you, Mr. AF, thank you!

 

I have nothing more than a hunch it is South American. Has taupou seen this?

 

Makes me think of a humidifier. Put water in it and put it on the stove for moisture. Don't know if that red clay would hold up to that or not. Maybe if it was on a heat diffuser?
Is that a burn mark on the bottom?

 

The human effigy bears a remarkable resemblance to this Zuni effigy, probably just distant cousins.
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/open..._Man_with_a_Hat_on_a_Horse/image/145685/image

 

Very interesting. When I was in Arizona many years ago I picked up potsherds around an old Hopi settlement where the decoration on the fragments resembled the crude decoration of this vessel. This was probably just a coincidence of materials though. All the Zuni stuff I can find pictures of is so much less crude than this object.