Lot 124A
Pre-Columbian, Maya, Copador style, Honduras or El Salvador, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A delightfully expressive Maya Copador bowl, its rounded form painted with three stylized monkeys in bold black slip, their sinuous limbs and curling tails animated with playful energy. The figures are arranged in rhythmic procession around the vessel's exterior, each defined by wide circular eyes and curved mouths that convey motion and personality. The redware body is smoothed and polished to a rich sheen, the warm orange ground enhanced by decorative registers above and below - a thin red band beneath the rim and a band of repeating wave scrolls rendered in black against a pale buff band. Copador ceramics are a regional offshoot of Maya polychrome traditions, blending Classic Maya aesthetics with local innovations. Produced primarily in the southeastern reaches of the Maya world, these vessels often featured dynamic animal imagery, geometric borders, and a distinctive use of color. Size: 5.8" W x 3.6" H (14.7 cm x 9.1 cm)
The monkey - associated with scribes, dancers, and sometimes trickster deities - was a favored subject, appearing frequently in courtly scenes and mythological narratives. This bowl, with its humorous yet sophisticated iconography, may have once served in feasting or ritual contexts, offering both visual delight and symbolic potency. The hand-painted details, though stylized, show a mastery of line and form, and the swirling wave motifs suggest movement and continuity, perhaps evoking water or wind as metaphors for life.
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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#196183
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over break lines. Some minor surface wear, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent presentation with good remaining detail and pigments. Scattered root marks and earthen deposits in areas.
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