Pre-Columbian, Honduras, Mayan Ulua Valley, ca. 550 to 850 CE. A deep cylindrical vessel standing on three very low, round legs. The walls of the vessel are painted with a repeated, large motif of a kneeling lord who wears a massive feathered headdress and holds before himself a round disc atop a pole, perhaps some kind of standard. Around the exterior of the rim is a repeated motif of steps leading to a labyrinth. The interior of the rim is painted with a broad, black stripe. Size: 6.2" W x 4.9" H (15.7 cm x 12.4 cm)
The Ulua Valley, centered around the large city of Cerro Palenque, is a mystery for archaeologists. Unlike the Maya, they left no written records (the glyphoid designs on this vessel do not form words), and their connection to the Classic Maya is unclear. It seems to have been a point of trade and transport - a connecting link - between the Maya world further north and Central America. The pottery from the Ulua Valley is part of a very unique tradition different even from those found at nearby Copan.
Provenance: ex-private Florida, USA collection, acquired from Artemis Gallery in 2008, acquired at auction previously
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#136746
Condition
Repaired and restored from two or three large pieces, with overpainting along the repair lines. Nice deposits on surface, both interior and exterior, with some small losses to pigment but overall very well preserved motifs.