Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, Ulua Valley, Honduras, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A gorgeous polychrome cylinder of a very deep form supported by tripod feet. The outer walls display an elaborate iconographic program featuring three seated lords or casiques wearing extravagant headdresses and ornate regalia, each one appearing to hold or blow through a conch shell, alternating with a panels of boldly painted abstract glyphoids and 'framed' above and below by narrow registers of stylized forms. For the Maya, extraordinary painted ceramic vases like this example were gifted to elite individuals, akin to the gifts exchanged between high profile dignitaries today. Size: 6.25" in diameter x 6" H (15.9 cm x 15.2 cm)

According to Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education scholars Dorie Reents-Budet and Ronald Bishop, "Today, when high-profile foreign dignitaries visit the White House, they can expect to attend grand dinners and to receive gifts, often custom-made by the best artists in the country. The gifts honor the visitor and showcase the giver's fine taste. In the days of the Classic Maya (A.D. 250-900), state-level gift-giving was little different, and no gift reflected more meaning or artistic expertise than the painted ceramic vase. Twenty years ago, the hieroglyphs, images, and even origins of these extraordinary vessels were little known. Now, advances in decipherment and chemical technology have made these vases invaluable for exploring the economic, political, and social exploits of the Maya. The vases, used both to serve food at feasts and as gifts presented at such events, were created by highly skilled painters who had mastered the intricacies of Classic Maya religious mythology, ideology, and history, and used hieroglyphic writing as both communication and visual poetry. Artists were highly regarded and often members of elite families." (Archaeology Archive, Vol. 56,Number 2, March/April 2003, abstract)

Provenance: Ex-NYC collection, ex Poway southern California collection

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#117754

Repaired from about five pieces with surface wear and possible re-painting over the break marks.