Lot 201
Pre-Columbian, Mexico or Guatemala, Olmec culture, ca. 10th to 6th century BCE. A gorgeous grey ware cup, a drinking vessel with no handles and a simple form decorated with fabulous motifs. Thin-walled and sitting on a thin base, this piece has surprising delicacy for its age. The exterior has deeply incised, glyph-like iconography composed of thick lines. It depicts the stylized face of a monstrous creature, a beast with flaming eyebrows. This appears to be the Bird Monster, one of the deities we know of from the Olmec culture. The piece also has a cross-band motif and, around the bottom, a stylized serpent deity with cross-hatching that gives the appearance of reptilian skin. Size: 5" W x 4.7" H (12.7 cm x 11.9 cm)
The incised glyphs on this carving are probably epi-Olmec or proto-Mayan. Epi-Olmec, like Mayan, consists of glyphs, often written in lines or columns. Although not all of it has been deciphered, what we know of this language is that it describes religious notions and, to a lesser extent, socio-political matters. It is not clear if glyphs are both pictographic and ideographic, or what role phonograms might have played, and this remains a hotly studied component of Mesoamerican archaeology. With all these questions, can we say anything about this cup? Barring some exceptional circumstances, it was owned by a wealthy person, and buried with them; its glyphs probably speak to the status of the individual or offer a prayer to the Bird Monster.
Provenance: private Rochester, Michigan, USA collection
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#124073
- Condition: Repaired from multiple pieces, with overpainting on interior to cover repairs. Repairs are almost invisible on exterior, which has extensive deposits on surface. Fine details are still clear.
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