**Originally Listed At $700**

Pre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A trio of miniature pottery vessels, of a form known as a "poison jars.” The tallest is ribbed with a belted or waisted shape, like a gourd or squash, and the buff footed jar also has a lobed appearance. The disembodied head, perhaps a trophy head, has a rounded and puffy face- influenced by earlier Olmec cultures. Traditionally, these petite vessels were known as "poison" or "medicine" bottles, in part because of their comparison to similar bottles used by other cultures, but further analysis suggests 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 pigment upon death). Their size indicates they held dear substances not required in large quantities such as poisons or medicines, but also perfume, tobacco, and ritual drugs like powdered mushrooms. Size: 1.5" Diameter x 3" H (3.8 cm x 7.6 cm)

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

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#174970

Head jar repaired with neck reattached. Stable fissures across face and chips. Loss to rim of footed vessel. Tallest vessel it intact and very good. Remains of red pigment and light mineral deposits.