Heart-Shaped Bottle with Phallic Spout
Not on view
Taíno potters created vessels with modeled and incised decorations, such as this heart-shaped bottle, likely for ceremonial use or funerary purposes. The vessel rests on a flat, circular base and the neck is decorated with abstract geometric motifs. The spout of the bottle evokes a phallus, perhaps signifying that the use of this vessel was connected to ideas about fertility and reproduction. The large bottle conforms to the style of ceramic found throughout the Taíno region on Hispaniola known as Boca Chica ("Small Mouth"). Such bottles were used for water collection (known as potizas) or the consumption of beer made from manioc.
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