Lot 66
Pre-Columbian, Mexico and northern Central America, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A rare and impressive pottery rattle of an ovoid form with bulging walls adorned by 2 abstract reliefs each featuring the head of a bat, as well as black, orange, and red pigments. The hollow instrument presents a pointed top with a pair of suspension holes and a curved bottom with a lengthy slit allowing the pottery ball on the interior to create a lovely rattling sound. Nearly symmetrical, each zoomorphic relief is of ellipsoid form with an "X" motif dividing the relief into quarters and intersecting a square at the center. A bat head in profile is shown in the top quarter, exhibiting an elongated snout, a protruding tongue, a target motif eye, and a petite pair of ears, while the other 3 sections are filled with pointed wings and a tail on the bottom. The relief and slit are enveloped in black pigment, which also forms a band of Z motifs around the bottom and a ray pattern encircling the top. Size: 3.5" W x 4.2" H (8.9 cm x 10.7 cm); 5.5" H (14 cm) on included custom stand.
A glyph is painted in red on 1 of the rattle's shoulders, just above the beginning of the slit. This ancient glyph may convey an important date, a secret message, or simply be part of the rattle's aesthetic program. According to Dorie Reents-Budet, "One of the remarkable characteristics of Classic Maya painted pottery is the use of writing as more than simply a way to communicate ideas. As in the Islamic tradition, Maya artists employed calligraphy as a prime design feature and as an integral part of the total composition
The hieroglyphic texts also were used as compositional devices, placed specifically to help define the internal tensions, balances and divisions within the pictorial field." (Dorie Reents-Budet, "Painting the Maya Universe: Royal Ceramics of the Classic Period," Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1994, page 12)
Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
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#172876
- Condition: Still functions as a rattle. Some areas of professional repair with restoration and repainting. Expected light abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with great remaining pigments and detail.
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