Description:

Pre-Columbian, Honduras/El Salvador, Mayan Copador, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A lovely polychrome turtle effigy vessel, the body of a globular form with a flat bottom and slightly flared large rim, decorated with applied head, tail, and legs in low to high relief and stylized glyphs (some possibly representing the rain god Chaac) painted on the concave shoulder. Turtle imagery represented the watery surface separating the sky from the underworld. The turtle also served as an earth metaphor and had fertility connotations. In addition the turtle was believed to be an ally of the Maya rain god Chac. Its carapace was worn by Mayan bacabs, avatars of the rain god, and oftentimes turtle shells accompanied Mayan rulers in their graves to ensure new life and fertility in the Otherworld. Size: 6.25" W at widest point x 3.875" H (15.9 cm x 9.8 cm)

Provenance: private Atlanta, Georgia, USA collection

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#125324

  • Condition: Tiny nicks to rim. Minor surface wear with a few scuffs. Overall very good.

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July 20, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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