🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Precolumbian teapot?

EnvoyToTheMolePeople

EnvoyToTheMolePeople

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Oct 1, 2018
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Western PA, Northern NJ
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EnvoyToTheMolePeople said:
I bought this weird teapot at an antique store for $15. I'd normally guess it was a reproduction, but there is still dirt inside, which makes me think it was excavated. Does anybody know how I can identify it?
Click to expand...
The dirt could be from being used as a plant pot. (succulent/cactus) would be my guess.
Have you got a picture of the bottom?
Cool looking though.
 

Upvote 1
The raised piece on the bottom is different from any standard bowl/pot.

The pot with that could of sat on a stand and the extruded piece sat into a groove/hole of similar shape/size to prevent it from falling off.
 

Upvote 1
pepperj said:
The raised piece on the bottom is different from any standard bowl/pot.

The pot with that could of sat on a stand and the extruded piece sat into a groove/hole of similar shape/size to prevent it from falling off.
Click to expand...
I thought the idea could be so that the little man was always elevated, as you can see in the first picture. I don't really know why that would be necessary, but it could have to do with the hole that goes through him.
 

Upvote 2
Tea was introduced to the western hemisphere in circa 1647.
Technically there would be no Pre-Columbian tea pots, unless it’s from the eastern hemisphere.

One of two things for certain;
$15 at antique shop means:
1) The shop had no idea as to value
2) it is a known knockoff

No sane person sells a fragile, antiquated item at such a discount.
I stress IMO.
 

Upvote 3
Blackfoot58 said:
Tea was introduced to the western hemisphere in circa 1647.
Technically there would be no Pre-Columbian tea pots, unless it’s from the eastern hemisphere.

One of two things for certain;
$15 at antique shop means:
1) The shop had no idea as to value
2) it is a known knockoff

No sane person sells a fragile, antiquated item at such a discount.
I stress IMO.
Click to expand...
Yes, the people at the shop had no idea what it was, that is for sure. Now that doesn't make it genuinely old or not, just that it was clear that nobody there knew anything about this. And that is a fair point about calling it a tea pot and also pre-columbian. I have no idea how old this is, where it is from, or what it is for. The man has a hole in his head, which makes me think liquid was poured out of the pot. And the man has a certain 'primitive' look.
 

Upvote 1
Maybe check out some of the YouTube videos by Bob Dodge. He's the guy featured on the show Pawn Stars and called to give his opinion when items thought to be thing like Pre-Columbian Pottery are brought into the shop. I sure couldn't say, other than I'm always suspicious of things like that I've come by in antique shops.
It made me think of that 1975 horror movie The Trilogy of Terror. 😨
 

Upvote 1
The figure looks like this guy I found, on pre-Columbian stuff from cultures: Taino, calima, Zapotec. I have seen so far... Probably more...
I thought more of a horn instrument type thing then a whistle..
Or maybe a chocolate cup, or chocolate frothing cup.
Screenshot_20240223-225440~2.pngScreenshot_20240223-234846~2.png
Screenshot_20240223-225320~2.pngScreenshot_20240223-230124~3.png
 

Upvote 2
Just send it to Christie's and they'll work their confidence game on some unsuspecting yuppies regardless of if its genuine or not, then you pocket a cool... whatever a pre-columbian hot chocolate pot is worth. :D
 

Upvote 1
Upvote 0
EnvoyToTheMolePeople said:
I bought this weird teapot at an antique store for $15. I'd normally guess it was a reproduction, but there is still dirt inside, which makes me think it was excavated. Does anybody know how I can identify it?I
Click to expand...
Is the hole in the back of the figures head continuous with attachment from his head to the lip of the pot?
 

Upvote 0
yes, you either have nothing or something interesting. We can't ID it for you but do send off pix to "Heritage Auctions"... they deal in this sort of thing, and let us know.
 

Upvote 1
I don't see any evidence of age on the piece. There are so many fakes sold each year (thousands) just looking at pictures won't establish whether it's real or not.

The first test is to determine whether the pot is low fire or high fire ceramic. 99% chance it's high fire which would establish it's not pre-colombian. The test is very simple but if you don't have hands on experience testing for the difference it's not something you can learn on the internet.
 

Upvote 4
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