Pre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. This is a rare, amazing find - a square-shaped, heavily relief-decorated bottle of specialized form, with a short, narrow spout. This item is known as a paneled flask. The reliefs are repeated on their opposite side. The larger sides show a lord wearing an animal headdress and speaking two glyphs to an animalian figure that resembles an armadillo or a coati in some regards but is baffling in others, particularly its leg placement - perhaps it is a transformational figure, a human being transformed into an animal, caught in the act of shrinking down into quadrupedal form. The smaller sides contain three glyphs: they appear to be, from top down, a firefly(?), a lord, and a quetzal. Size: 1.75" L x 2.4" W x 5.1" H (4.4 cm x 6.1 cm x 13 cm)

The Maya Classic phase is so named because it was the peak of their artistic and cultural achievements. Part of this, as in many societies, included highly specialized consumable goods. Elaborate vessels like this one were designed to be instantly distinguishable from those used for everyday eating or drinking - not just in decoration, but also in quantity produced, making these a much rarer find than your average piece of domestic pottery. They were also made to be for only a single, specific function - in this case, to hold something valuable. Traditionally, items like this one have been known as "poison" or "medicine" bottles, in part because of their comparison to bottles used by other native North American groups, 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 (as if 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: Ex - private Seattle, WA collection acquired before 1990

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#116124

Near choice with minute chips to base