This Aztec tripod vessel is done in striking red and black, with vulture attributes, including the head incorporated into the handle. Note the use of the clay body's natural color to emphasize the vulture's head and feet. For the Aztecs, the vulture represented long life, wisdom, mental stability.
About 1400 AD, Aztec potters moved from a more rigid geometric style of decoration to one based more on nature. They often represented animals and flowers in a naturalistic manner in black-on-red or black-on-orange styles. They also produced a thin, finely made orangeware.
I hope you have enjoyed our tour of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican pottery. You may also be interested in the gallery of Ancient Greek Pottery.
Image Courtesy of unforth / Claire H.