This curated mid-century pair showcases traditional pre-Columbian Diaguita styling from Chile, featuring bold, hand-painted black, white, and red geometric slip designs over burnished terracotta clay. The set includes a classic zoomorphic Jarro Pato (duck effigy spouted vessel) and a coordinating bulbous collar vase. Excellent authentic addition to any Latin American folk art or mid-century ethnographic pottery collection.
Date: c. 1950s
Period: Mid-Century revival of Late Phase III / Inca-Diaguita transition style
Country of Origin: Chile, South America
Artist/Maker/Manufacturer: Chilean Artists' Collective
Size Classification: Small, Cabinet size
Materials: Clay
Technique: Coiled, Slip ware
Colors: Terra cotta, Red, Black, White
Features: Hand-painted slipware finish
Jarro Pato Details:
Signed:“CHiLe” "Pudaheil”
Dimensions: 3 ¾ inches (9.6 cm) high
Weight: 6 oz.
Pattern: Bird Effigy, Geometric, Diaguita-style geometric patterning
Style: South American, Late Diaguita Phase III style, Diaguita-style geometric patterning
Theme/Symbolism: South American Folk Art, Pre-Columbian Replica, Terracotta Pottery, Tribal Decor, Zoomorphic Art. It is modeled after the spectacled duck or pato anteojillo, native to the rivers and wetlands of Chile and Argentina.
Condition: Good vintage condition with two small glaze smudges and minor wear consistent with age. These imperfections are typical of handmade or small-batch production and do not affect the structural integrity of the piece. Natural age patina and mild surface oxidation consistent with age. See images.
Vase Details:
Marks/Signatures: "CHiLe”
Dimensions: 4 1/2 inches (11.5 cm) high
Weight: 7 oz.
Pattern: Geometric, Diaguita-style geometric patterning
Style: South American, Late Diaguita Phase III style
Theme/Symbolism: The design reflects the distinct visual language of the Diaguita culture, an Indigenous people from the Norte Chico region of Chile and the Argentine Northwest, celebrated for their refined, often spiritual ceramic artistry.
Condition: Good vintage condition with minor wear consistent with age and hand-batch production. See all images.
Born from the hands of skilled artisans in mid-20th-century Chile, these pieces draw inspiration from the ancestral Diaguita culture, echoing their mastery of form, symmetry, and symbolic design. The bold geometric patterns and earthy hues awaken a connection to pre-Columbian roots and centuries of rich ceramic artistry. The design reflects the distinct visual language of the Diaguita, an Indigenous people from the Norte Chico region of Chile and the Argentine Northwest.
