Lot 78A
Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A mold-formed pottery poison jar of discoid form bearing an intricate figural scene on each side. Each illustration depicts a pair of figures - perhaps the Hero Twins Xbalanque and Hunahpu - flanking a central vine or phytomorphic form, and the underlying areas are accentuated with applied red pigment. Size: 1.27" L x 3.48" W x 3.31" H (3.2 cm x 8.8 cm x 8.4 cm)
The Maya Classic phase is so named because it was the peak of their artistic and cultural achievements. Part of this, as in many societies, included highly specialized consumable goods. Elaborate vessels like this one were designed to be instantly distinguishable from those used for everyday eating or drinking - not just in decoration, but also in quantity produced, making these a much rarer find than your average piece of domestic pottery. They were also made to be for only a single, specific function - in this case, to hold something valuable. Traditionally, items like this one have been known as "poison" or "medicine" bottles, in part because of their comparison to bottles used by other native North American groups, but depictions of people using the flasks in artwork as well as residue analysis on archaeological examples suggest that they may have had other uses. They are often found in the context of burials, filled with red pigment like cinnabar or hematite, but with the remains of other things underneath the pigment (as if they were used in life and then filled with color in death). Because of their size, they must have been made to contain things not required in large quantities - indeed, poisons or medicines, but also perfume, tobacco, and ritual drugs like powdered mushrooms.
Provenance: private Ellicott City, Maryland, USA collection, aquired before 2005
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#184213
- Condition: Minor nicks and abrasions, with light earthen deposits, softening to some finer details, and fading to red pigment, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation to overall form and figural motifs.
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