Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, Guatemala, Maya, Post-Classic Period, ca. 1000 to 1200 CE. A hand-built plumbate pottery vessel incised with elaborate motifs, resting on a flat base, the tall walls swelling slightly before the flared rim. The cylindrical walls are skillfully carved with low relief iconography of violent deities portrayed with skull like visages and dressed in crocodile armor- both in dynamic conquering poses- one god grasps a kneeling victim by the hair and the other deity holds a knife with a skull/ trophy head in his other hand, while standing on a prostrate figure- all set within mesmerizing glyphs and motifs. Ceramics like this example were gifted to elite individuals, vases were a functional gift, created by artist/scribes who came from elite families and who took pains to recreate the stories of Mayan mythology and religion as well as to depict royal and godly personages in their artwork to reinforce the ruling ideology of Mayan society. Size: 3.25" Diameter x 7" H (8.3 cm x 17.8 cm)
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated.
Provenance: private Hidden Valley Lake, California, USA collection
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#170642
Condition
Stable hairline fissure on base and interior of vessel. Chips and nicks to rim and high pointed relief areas. Black manganese blooms on interior. One old TL drill hole on base, 1 new TL drill hole on base, and 1 new TL drill hole inside of top rim.