Artwork Page for Conch Shell Trumpet Vessel

Details / Information for Conch Shell Trumpet Vessel

Conch Shell Trumpet Vessel

200 BCE–300 CE

West Mexico, Colima, Comala style

Medium
earthenware
Measurements
Overall: 15.5 x 23.5 x 26.6 cm (6 1/8 x 9 1/4 x 10 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of J. H. Wade III 1966.127
Public Domain
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Location
233 Mesoamerican and Intermediate Region
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Description

Conch shell trumpets were used during many kinds of important events throughout the ancient Americas. The shells were converted to trumpets by removing the tip to form a mouthpiece, as this ancient ceramic replica of a trumpet shows. Holes were often drilled in the shell for a carrying cord.
A mottled reddish-brown earthenware vessel lies horizontally, modeled in a shell-like shape. Dark gray spots pepper the surface. At the left, a cylindrical spout projects upward. Thick, pointed spikes and a tight spiral coil jut from the body. To the right, the shell fans out into a flattened section, pierced by a small circular hole near the outer edge.

Conch Shell Trumpet Vessel

200 BCE–300 CE

West Mexico, Colima, Comala style

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