Lot 42
Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerica, Maya, Classic period, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A tall and visually striking Maya cylinder vase, its slender form wrapped in a continuous vision of serpents, shields, and sacred breath. Fashioned from Orangeware pottery, the vessel rises in a straight-walled cylindrical profile, a shape favored in elite Maya drinking vessels used for cacao and other ritual beverages. The surface is decorated on opposing sides with a horizontal depiction of a mythological serpent head rendered in fluid, confident lines. Each serpent appears with an open, toothy mouth and a protruding, curled tongue, features associated with speech, breath, and divine utterance in Maya cosmology. Behind each head sits an oval shield-like element marked with a cross motif, a symbol often linked to the four cardinal directions and the ordered structure of the cosmos. The painted decoration unfolds across warm orange and buff tones, accented by darker mineral pigments that have softened with age into a richly weathered surface. Size: 3.6" W x 10.5" H (9.1 cm x 26.7 cm)
The imagery suggests a supernatural creature emerging into view, a visual metaphor for communication between earthly and divine realms. Serpents in Maya art frequently serve as conduits for gods and ancestors, reinforcing the vessels likely ceremonial or courtly function. Elegant in proportion and iconographically dense, this cylinder vase embodies the Maya mastery of narrative painting on ceramics, where myth, power, and ritual were meant to be held, turned, and contemplated in the hand.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection, acquired July 2024; ex-Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, USA; ex-private Chicago, Illinois, USA collection; ex-Dr. Jerome Grunes collection, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 1970s, by descent to family
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#200478
- Condition: Area of rim ha s been professionally repaired with restoration and repainting over break lines. Retouching to painted detail in areas. Otherwise, nice presentation with good decoration and scattered mineral deposits.
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|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |