This auction is for rare, colorful, original print of one of the most mysterious and magical wall murals of ancient America. This is an 11 X 14 inch museum-quality print on heavyweight matte paper showing an ancient Anasazi wall painting (mural) about 800 years old, unearthed about forty years ago by archaeologists digging at Pottery Mound in central New Mexico, reconstructed and reproduced by the artist and archaeologist Thomas Baker (thomasbakerpaintings.com). This print is direct from the artist and cannot be bought anywhere else. The print is entitled "The Parrot Woman of Pottery Mound," and it is print #18 of a limited edition of 500. The painting shows an Anasazi Indian woman dancing with a scarlet macaw in each hand. (This print complements the other Pottery Mound prints in our Ebay store, the Anasazi Singing Maidens, the Blue Bear, and the Council of Warriors. If you buy more than one print you will only pay one shipping fee. Also in our Ebay store is the "Anasazi Cannibal Woman" print).

The original 800-year-old painting reproduced here was probably made for supernatural or magical purposes (some of the symbolism is discussed below). It was unearthed in the 1960's by archaeologists from the University of New Mexico, digging at a ruin known as Pottery Mound, so-called for the great profusion of pottery fragments scattered about the site. The mural had been painted on the plastered wall of what had once been an underground room. After archaeologists sketched and photographed this mural and others, the room was reburied to protect it, since there was no way at that time to remove it or preserve ancient paintings on adobe (mud) plaster. The story of the prehistoric Pottery Mound paintings can be read in the book "Kiva Art of the Anasazi at Pottery Mound," by Dr. Frank Hibben (the book is out of print, but used copies may be bought from Amazon.com).

The original Anasazi painting was fragmentary, and had been damaged by its long burial in the ground, but ancient-art specialist Thomas Baker (with the approval and assistance of Dr. Frank Hibben, the original director of the dig) reconstructed it from the drawings and photographs made at the dig site. Baker reproduced it as an oil painting, and this print was made from that painting. This is the only source in the world where you can acquire a display print of an ancient Pottery Mound wall mural, and Thomas Baker has signed and numbered each copy. A certificate of authenticity along with a paper explaining the history, background, and significance of this ancient image will be included with the print.

An article about Thomas Baker and his reproductions of the ancient Pottery Mound murals appeared in the Washington Times and may be viewed at the following URL: http://www.nathpo.org/News/NAGPRA/News-NAGPRA29.htm. A Web search on the keywords "Pottery Mound, New Mexico" will yield additional information.

The Anasazi woman shown in the painting holds parrots that were probably imported from the Aztecs of Mexico, since they are jungle birds not native to the deserts of New Mexico where Pottery Mound is located. The ancient Anasazi were desert-dwelling farmers, obsessed with bringing scarce water to their crops, and the modern Indians working with Dr. Hibben told him that the symbolism in the painting probably has to do with water themes and magically bringing rain. The small single and double crosses scattered throughout the painting represent mosquitoes and dragonflies, which breed in water, and the jagged bars flying from the bowl on the woman's head signify the lightning in thunderstorms. The woman wears face paint, a cotton dress with sash and tassels, moccasins, and her hair is done up in whorls on the sides of her head like traditional Hopi Indian women wear today.

A limited edition of 500 of these prints has been printed on heavyweight matte paper using the finest permanent inks. According to the manufacturer of the printing equipment, this print is of such high quality that it can last for centuries, and is suitable for museum displays. This print should appreciate in value with time. The print is signed and numbered by Thomas Baker, and will come with a certificate of authenticity, a document describing the significance and history of the image, and a paper suggesting the best ways to care for and display the print. It will be shipped by USPS Priority Mail to buyers in the U.S. and Canada (typically 2 to 3 day delivery), rolled up in a protective cardboard tube.

Please see our feedback to see how happy previous buyers of this and other prints have been with them.

The $6.00 shipping fee for Priority Mail applies to buyers in the continental U.S. and Canada. International shipping costs more, so please contact us before bidding to determine the exact shipping cost to your location.

Visit our eBay store for prints of other Thomas Baker paintings and archaeological reproductions (and see the originals at thomasbakerpaintings.com. where you may purchase any that are available, and also commission oil portraits by Thomas Baker). If the prehistoric Anasazi peoples interest you, see the Thomas Baker print "Anasazi Cannibal Woman" among the other prints in our eBay store. Thanks for looking!