Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Mexico and northern Central America, Maya Territories, Late Classic, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A shallow ceramic bowl with gently flaring, steep-walled sides, and a large, flat base. The sides are carved with a geometric motif, probably representing the mat symbol, with deep spaces filled in at the corners with dark red pigment. In the center of the vessel interior is an incised motif of an Old God, shown with a prominent nose, a jutting lip, and a large, feathered headdress. Size: 8.05" W x 1.8" H (20.4 cm x 4.6 cm)

The stylized "mat" symbol is a common one on Maya pottery. Mat houses, called Popol Nah, were places where councils of nobles met. They often had their exteriors were marked with "mat" symbols like this vessel - see, for example, the façade of the Popol Nah at Copan with its thatched mat pattern that has been reconstructed from the fallen pieces found by the Copan Mosaic Project.

Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#140927

  • Condition: Repaired from multiple large pieces with overpainting along the repaired areas. Nice preservation of motifs.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

December 20, 2018 7:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 24.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000