Marajoara Pottery Vessel with Amphibious Motifs. Condition is commensurate with age. 

Marajó art or Marajoara art, consists mostly of decorated ceramic pieces found on Marajó island. Marajó is a delta island located right at the mouth of the Amazon River in the state of Pará in Northern Brazil. Bordering the island, you have The Atlantic Ocean and the Pará River, (a distributary of the Amazon) and of course, the mouth of the Amazon River itself. Marajó Island is roughly the same size as Switzerland making it one of the biggest river islands in the world, topped only by Majuli in Assam, India.

Samples excavated on Marajó Island are held in museums all over the world including in Brazil, North America and Europe, in addition some pieces form part of private art collections. Not limited to pottery such as funeral urns, there are examples of cutlery; bowls, ladles and plates as well as decorative pieces such as small figurines. Studies of these pieces found that the art consists of colored and non-colored designs and drawings. Numerous drawings represent animals and display a degree of zoomorphism (animal attributes on non-animal subjects). The most common animals found on the pottery are snakes, caimans, turtles and scorpions. Some of the time, the art on the pottery represents a single body part (human or animal) or a combination of the two. There are also repetitive patterns and designs on the pots in the form of both shallow and deep etches and grooves.

Nowadays, the designs, shapes, and artistic inspiration for the modern Marajoara pieces are based on the original pieces. Many people on the island today, depend on the reproduction of Marajoara Art as their source of income as well as the rearing of cattle and buffalo.

Size: 11 x 11 x 7 1/4 in.
#4766

Commensurate with age.