Dug up a strange clay jar on the beach in California

[dsh3c0x]

I'm trying to figure out what this thing is. My girlfriend dug it out of the sand at low tide. It's about .5 meters long, made of very rough unglazed clay, hollow; open on the left end (top is broken off, not found). The two holes on the left impinge on the cavity, so obviously it can't be used to store a liquid. I'll post a better description after I clean it up and take better pictures.


*Update 2015/01/08*
Below are a few pictures of the thing in full profile. Banana and soda bottle for scale. As you can see, the jar was pinched together, not turned on a wheel. Definitely not made by a craftsman.


Bottom markings, with a positive clay impression for clarity.


Details of the top set of holes, which purposely go through to the cavity (i.e. there weren't any spouts that broke off, or anything like that.)


Details of the embellishments. The brown glaze was applied pretty thickly.


And lastly, details of the broken top.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

Its got me stumped. I'm not too sure about the third dark embelishment, it seems like its cut off. I'm not sure what the artist what thinking with the spacing of the three.

In any case, I just hope its not one of these!!!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[boogeyman]

A little late on this one. Do a google search for a Larry Dunn. He was a pottery artist in Costa Mesa Calif then moved to Laguna Beach. He was fairly well known and was showing a lot of ceramics in shows all over. This sure looks like his style. If it is, there should be two more that were hung one below the other with hemp rope like what was used in the macramé pot holders. If you're in So Cal. Check out some of the ceramic shops in Laguna and (if they're still there) in Newport Beach. Might be one of his students making stuff that matches his style.

Just for fun. He used to make little clay figures that were just two blobs of clay with scratches for the face & body decorations maybe 4 inches high. He was getting $12 ea. in 1971 dollars!

 

[Doubter in MD]

Sorry
But im not buying in to this
smells

WTH(eck) does this even mean? Look at the pictures. There is coral on the Bottom. It hasn't been in the water too long but it has been in the water for some amount of time.

 

[lockster99]

The writing/symbols look close to some type of Arabic to me.

 

[PeteWmass]

I think I saw a bong that looked like that - some hippies lost it on the beach.....its missing tubes and the top piece thing.....

 

[unclemac]

The writing/symbols look close to some type of Arabic to me.

I showed it to an Arab, she said "no"

 

[unclemac]

I think I saw a bong that looked like that - some hippies lost it on the beach.....its missing tubes and the top piece thing.....

could be something like that...