Lot 27C
Pre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A fantastic example of a molded "poison jar" in the form of a fearsome peccary with inlaid round greenstone/jadeite eyes. The peccary has a fierce face, his huge tusks carefully portrayed. His limbs are strangely skeletal, depicted in relief on the sides of the vessel. A round, slightly raised spout rises from the narrow back of the creature; two perforations, one on either side of the spout, may have allowed this vessel to be hung from a belt or otherwise worn. Size: 3.6" L x 1.95" W x 3" H (9.1 cm x 5 cm x 7.6 cm)
There are two species of peccary with whom the Maya would have been familiar, the collared peccary (also called the javelina), and the white-lipped peccary; although peccaries are frequent subjects of Mayan art, especially ceramic art, it is often difficult to discern which species is being depicted. The artists at Copan seem to have had a particular affinity for the animals, and they also make several appearances in the Popol Vuh.
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 New York, New York, USA collection
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#131259
- Condition: One foot has been repaired; small cracks along the surface, especially along the back leg of one side. The jade "eyes" are well preserved.
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