The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14
PORTRAITS ON CLAY VASES
Delineations of Human Features
Cast Hundreds Of Years Ago.

Probably Death Masks of Races Re-
fore the Indian Was Lord of the
American Forest--Discoverie of
Smithsonian Institution Experts.
What are. i'm all probability vcritable
| portraits of the race which inhabited the
| northern portion of this continent many
years before the Indian occupation, have
been received at the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition They are in the shape OF clay
vessels having wrought upon their sur
| faces representations OF human features
SO perfectly lifelike, or rather deathlike
are the best of these strange works as to
lead some to the belief that they are. in
reality death masks of the aboriginal
people. The potteries. eight IN number.
| were discovered by the agents of the Blu
! reau of Ethnology in mounds in the vi
cinity of Pecan Point. Ark. Like other
earthenware vessels which have been dis
covered in a similar manner they were
associated with human remains in graves.
or mounds, and the attempts at portrait
ure they evince were evidently intended
for the persons with whom they were
buried. In not all cases have the bones of
the dead been found with them. but this
crumbled to powder The question as to
whether or not these vases were made ex-
clusively for sepulchral purposes must.
say the Smithsonian experts. remain un-
answered. as there can be found no source
Of information upon the subject. Such u
purpose is. however, suggested by the
ssembIance of death given to the faces
which do not present a single feature
characteristic of Indian physioguomy- In
stead, is seen the round forehead and pro-
jecting mouth of the African
The nose, however is small and the nos
trils are narrow A description of the
best specimen may be taken as typical.
The face would seem to be that of a
youngish person. perhaps g female. The
features are well modelled. and are so de-
cidedly individual in character that the
artist must have had In his mind a pretty
definite conception Of the face to be pro-
duced as well as of the expression APP
propriate to it before beginning his work
II will be impossible, however. to prove
that the portrait of particular person.
age was intended. The closed eyes, the
rather sunken nose. and the parted lips
were evidently intended to give the effect
Of death The ears are large. correctly
placed. and well modelled; they are per-
forated all along the margin. thus re-
vealing & Practice OF the people TO whom
the work of art is to be attributed. The
septum of the nose appears to have been
pierced, and the horizontal depression
across the upper lip may indicate the for
mer presence of a suspended ornament.
One of the most unique and striking
features Of this extraordinary portrait
Qor such it is pretty certainly pronounced
TO be-, is the pattern of incised lines that
covers the greater part of the face These
lines are deeply engraved and somewhat
.'scratchy' in appearance. and were APP
parently executed in the hardened clay.
In size the head is five inches in height,
and five inches wide from ear to ear. The
aperture of the vase is in the crown, and
slightly recurved. Thu cavity is roughly
finished, and follows pretty close
" the contour of the ex-
terrier surface, excepting in pro-
iecting features such as the ears, lips.
and nose. The walls are generally from
one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch in
thickness. the base being about three
eighths The bottom is fat and takes tn.
level of the chin and jaws.
The material does not differ from thai of
other vessels of the same description. but
not embellished with portraits. There Is
a large percentage of she'll in the compost
ton, some PARTICLES of which are quite
large. The paste is yelowish grey in color
and rather coarse in texture. The vase
was modelled in the plain clay and permit
ted to harden before the devices traced
on the surface were engraved After this
thick film of fine yellOwish-grey clay
was applied TO the face, partially filing up
surface. including the lips. received a
thick coat of dark red paint. The entire
surface was then highly polished.
The left side of the Face Is plain. with
~ NJ flrrNNr -fNV11 h
semblirg 4 graphing hook in outline,
which partially surrounds the eye. The
right side Is covered with comb-like pat
tern, placed vertically with the teeth up
ward. The middle of the forehead has a
series OF vertical lines and few short
horizontal ones just above the root of the
nose There are also three curved lines
near the corner OF the mouth The sig
nitcance of these markings can only be
surnssd in the most general way. Their
function is probably the same as that of
faces of living races. Upon the forehead.
at the top. there is a small perforated
knob or loop Similar appendanges may
be seen upon Mexican terra-cotta head
now in the Museum of Mexico.
The headdress Is worthy of note. 1t ap-
pears to have been modelled after a cloth
or skin cap. It extends over the fore
head falls back over the back of the
Two layers of the material are represent
ed, the one broad the other narrow and
pointed, both being raised little above
the surface upon which they rest. This
vase head is somewhat smaller than the
average human head.
These prehistoric portraits offer fasei-
mating fields for conjecture regarding the
racial characteristics presented Nothing
more than conjecture is. indeed, possible
to them are the figures of some
Egyptian mummies, not especially well
preserved, indeed. but still presenting in
their blackened and partially decayed fea-
lures some of their distinctive character
istics. comparison of these ancient hui
man remains from the far-of land OF the
Pharaohs with the masks or portraits
from Arkansas of the prehistoric people
Of this country discloses truly striking
and wonderful resemblance.