PRE-COLUMBIAN COLLECTION

The oldest work of Pre-Columbian art in the Appleton Museum of Art is a ceramic female figurine from the coastal Ecuadorian Valdivia culture (ca. 2000 BC). The Appleton collection contains a broad selection of such figurines from many countries along with numerous examples of other ceramic forms. Some of the museum's most outstanding ceramic figures are from the Late Pre-Classic period in West Mexico and the Classic and Late Classic Periods in Eastern Mexico (Veracruz). The museum also holds excellent examples of Mayan art in the form of ceremonial bowls and figurines. Two fine Tairona blackware effigy urns from Colombia highlight the collection. From Peruvian cultures, Chavÿn blackware, burnished pieces of the Nazca, a fine group of Moche ceramics, and other later examples comprise an engaging view of pre-conquest America. Gold and jade objects are represented by a series of Mayan and Costa Rican jade ornaments and a magnificent gold eagle pendant from the Veraguas area of Panama.

Parrot Vessel, 6 X 4 inches, Tan Ceramic with Polychrome
Gift of Arthur I. Appleton