Pre-Columbian, Classic Maya, ca. 300 to 900 CE. This is a richly decorated red pottery tetrapod (four-legged) bowl with polychrome red, orange, and black designs and a three dimensional zoomorphic face on one external side. The clay used to make this bowl, like much clay in the Maya region, is a deep, gritty, volcanic red; the paint over it takes on a red tinge. The exterior designs, aside from the zoomorphic face with its grasping hands and large headdress, suggest waves. The interior designs are a ring of people holding circular items on the rim interspersed with geometric designs surrounding a central zoomorphic motif that forms the bottom of the bowl. Excavations at Ceren, a Maya city in El Salvador that was buried by volcanic ash in the 7th century CE, have revealed an almost identical tetrapod vessel that was used for serving tamales. Tamales were an incredibly popular meal at this time, served both in normal situations and at large feasts. Vessels like these were produced in the city of Copan and traded throughout Maya territory. Although this bowl has been broken, it is a wonderful example of the beauty of everyday objects in the Maya world. Size: 13" W x 5" H (33 cm x 12.7 cm).

Provenance: Ex-D. Moreno Collection, acquired in the 1980s

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#110987

Re-assembled from fragments.