Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Classic Period, ca. 250 to 550 CE. A hand-built pottery mask that was perhaps used for ceremonies involving the Maya ballgame. The convex face has large eyes and gaunt cheeks, perhaps depicting a starved prisoner or a flayed face, and was possibly part of a larger pottery figure. The uniformity of the brows, eyes, and cheeks suggests this was made by a skilled artist. Size: 3.6" W x 4.75" H (9.1 cm x 12.1 cm)

The skulls were also popular, if not morbid, motifs in Maya art. One may ask, does this represent a trophy head? Disembodied heads were a near-universal constant in Mesoamerican imagery for millennia; however, by the Classic Maya period it seems likely that the practice of taking of actual trophy heads, for the most part, had been replaced by a practice of using skulls as the ball in their ballgame. One example of this is in the Popol Vuh, a text recounting the history and mythology of the Kiche Maya of the Guatemalan Highlands, where a decapitated head is used instead of a rubber ball.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report is available to the buyer upon request.

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010

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#175056

Old losses to mandible and portion of one cheek as shown. Minor nicks and abrasions, otherwise in excellent condition. Great surface smoothness on obverse and nice preservation of finer details. TL drill holes on top and bottom of verso.