Lot 83A
Pre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. With a round body, and standing on three legs, this is a charming, diminutive bottle whose sides are decorated with a register depicting the Hero Twins as swimmers. This depiction mirrors those found on the massive carved stucco panels in the Mirador Basin that tell the story of the Mayan creation myth, when the Hero twins swam through the Underworld after retrieving the head of their father, the deity Hun Hunahpu. Some red pigment remains in the grooves of the piece. Size: 2.95" W x 2.25" H (7.5 cm x 5.7 cm)
Elaborate vessels like this one have been known as "poison" or "medicine" bottles, 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, meaning 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 D. C. collection, California, USA, an Emmy Award winning Hollywood writer and Executive Producer, collected before 2000
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#125780
- Condition: Chips to feet and from rim. Iconography is very clear.
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