Handmade Ceramic Tripod Sculpture in Black from Costa Rica, "Funeral Rituals"

Luis Alberto Gutiérrez pays tribute to his country's pre-Columbian heritage with this handmade ceramic sculpture painted with a black color created using pulverized stone. At the top of each of the handmade sculpture's three slender legs is an open cylindrical shape; the vessel features a long neck and is adorned with lizard legs and small dots. The model for the tripod design comes from similar objects crafted by Costa Rica's indigenous peoples many centuries ago. Those tripods had a function during funeral rituals. They were used during burials to heat sacred beverages such as chocolate. They were then ceremonially broken in two and buried in the tombs of the deceased as offerings, together with other objects such as ceramic pieces, jade or metal.