Pre-Columbian, Late Classic Maya, ca. 550 to 900 CE. An incredible terracotta plate, richly decorated, with a "kill hole" in tondo. The iconography of the bowl depicts two animals who are often associated with gods and royalty. In a register around the interior of the rim are four glyph-like images of the god Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan, a feathered serpent. Each painting of the god's head is long and fierce, with horns and a dramatic stepped snout above a fierce row of teeth. The shape of the snout reminds the viewer of the steps of a pyramid. In tondo is a beautiful, abstract rendering of a hummingbird. The bands of dark red and grey-blue on three sides of the body represent his feathers, while the triangle on the fourth side is his long beak. Size: 16" W x 3.5" H (40.6 cm x 8.9 cm)

Both the repeated quetzals and the hummingbird emphasize an iconographic connection to Maya elites, who created legitimacy for their rule in part by portraying themselves as close to the gods. Quetzals are brightly plumed birds who live in the cloud forests where the lowland Maya built their cities and whose plumage was highly valued, leading to the luxury trade of capturing and selling the birds. They are depicted in Maya art as heavenly creatures, often placed in scenes of paradise, and many royals took the quetzal glyph as part of their name. However, the birds also had a more powerful side, as their depiction, as on this plate, is sometimes combined with that of a powerful serpent to become the Chief Bird Deity, Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan.

Meanwhile, in Maya art, hummingbirds are depicted as companions to Itzamnaaj, the king of the gods. Itzamnaaj sometimes wears a hummingbird bill, and the hummingbird often acts as his messenger, described as a bringer of prophecies. Some scholars compare the hummingbird's role in Maya mythology with that of the owl: both speak for the gods, but, unlike the owl who is associated with death and the underworld, the hummingbird is associated with heaven and benevolence. However, because of the real bird's tendency to become aggressive during mating season, hummingbirds also adorned weapons of war in Maya and Aztec culture.

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 plates 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 a piece of domestic pottery. Instead, a bowl like this one would be ritually "sacrificed" by having a hole put through its center; it would then be placed into a tomb as an offering.

Provenance: ex-Denver Art Museum, acquired 1981

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#123332

Repaired from three large pieces, with repairs very difficult to see from the decorated interior.