Menu
EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBTranslated Mayan Codex Style Cylinder
Lot 22
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$15,000 - $20,000
Absentee vs Live bid
Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
May 10, 2018
Set Reminder
2018-05-10 10:00:00
2018-05-10 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Fine Ethnographic / Asian / Ancient Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-ethnographic-asian-ancient-art-3213
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring antiquities from around the world including Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Classical, Asian, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (407)
- Lot Description
Pre-Columbian, Mexico and Guatemala, Mayan Territories, Late Classic, ca. 550 to 900 CE. An important Codex Style cylinder vase in pristine, original condition, that gives us a rare glimpse into the scribal mind of the Maya Late Classic period. Elegantly rendered in a calligraphic style, the scene on this finely painted Codex Style vessel takes place in the underworld palace chamber of the main protagonist - an old, toothless, male deity in ceremonial garb. He is seated cross-legged in front of a large, ritual vessel painted with an "Ak'bal", or "darkness," glyph on its side. He wears a spangled, ritual vomit bib and a waterlily and folded napkin type headdress (which is worn identically by two other figures on this vase). He holds a dish like vessel (possibly the lid of the large pot?) to his grimacing mouth as if sipping a liquid. Size: 4.25" W x 4.3" H (10.8 cm x 10.9 cm)
Such wide-mouthed, lidded containers are always seen in ritual vomiting and enema ceremonies painted on Maya vases and it is to be understood the old figure is entering or in a state of hallucination caused by the substance in the large vessel. Further, there are distinctively pointed and rippled, bundled leaves (nicotiana rustica tobacco?) placed just in front of his bib, and also another bundle is held by the zoomorphic figure (the old deity's "whay," or sacred "alter ego"?) sitting behind him. This variety of native tobacco was quite strong and capable of creating mild hallucinations even in small doses.
Across from the Old Deity sits an avian-headed human figure (another "whay" type character with the head of a King or Turkey Vulture, birds directly associated with rulership in ancient Maya cultures) seemingly engaged in conversation with him and gesturing in a manner associated with "presentation," appropriate for his position next to the large vessel. He wears the identical headdress to that seen on the old deity, that is, a folded napkin type headdress with waterlily bloom and distinctly textured central element, no doubt integral accouterments to the ritual. A swagged curtain can be seen above this supernatural pairing of Underworld characters seated around the ritual pot; there is a series of hieroglyphs painted in the field between them.
Reading the glyphic inscription from left to right, the glyphs all seem to be versions of the 'Nen' or 'mirror' sign. Only slight variations exist between each glyph, all with different prefixes, suffixes and numerical counts (5, 3 and 9), possibly alluding to some passage of time rather than specific calendrical date(s). The head version of 'Nen' (the 2nd glyph) is a rarely seen female profile image of this "mirror" or "transformation" glyph. Please refer to this article for much more detail about the use of the 'Nen' glyph: https://tinyurl.com/yavfyr9a
One final note: the youthful, fully human male figure (the alter ego image of the avian headed figure in front of him?) sitting behind the bird-headed whay character holds his left hand up in an "acceptance" gesture often seen on complexly painted late Classic vases and other vessels showing human figures presenting or offering gifts.
Provenance: private Florida, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#130906Intact! With small surface chips and losses to pigment commensurate with age, but excellent preservation of motifs. Root marks and light areas of encrustation on the interior.Condition
- Shipping Info
-
All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.
-
- Buyer's Premium
