Description:

Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A well-preserved redware bowl with two large, rectangular incised motifs on the exterior, each depicting a seated lord or a god in profile with a glyph or glyph-like symbol emerging from its mouth. The bowl was made using the coil method and has a rounded base, indicating that it was made to be placed on a sandy or muddy floor rather than a flat surface. Size: 6.4" W x 4.45" H (16.3 cm x 11.3 cm)

The iconography of the two figures incised here indicates that they are very high status. Both are adorned with feathers on their headdress and cape, which were elite decorative flourishes for Maya clothing. One figure seems to hold a staff topped by a flowering tree, a Maya symbol of kingship. Both also have the distinction of being depicted on pottery - a sign of elite status on its own! The glyphs that emerge from their mouths seem to be the same, with the variation that is often see in Maya logographs - they say "chan", the glyph for "sky", thought to resemble the wing of a supernatural bird. Their use here may be as a personal name or may relate to the city of Tikal, often associated iconographically with this glyph.

Provenance: Ex-Private Florida collection acquired at Heritage Auctions

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#120396

  • Condition: Tiny chip from rim. Light areas of root marks, especially on one side of rim (exterior).

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March 15, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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