Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, Late Classic, ca. 550 to 900 CE. Truly EXQUISITE! A tall polychrome cylinder with a dramatic painted iconographical program comprised of three feathered serpents - the god Kulkulkan (Quetzalcoatl in Nahuatl among the Aztec) on the main body - each one finely delineated in red and orange against the creamy white ground and grasping a figural glyph likely representing a deity or lord in its talons. Note that the renderings of Kulkulkan vary slightly in poses and gestures; the artist was especially interested in capturing different movements and positions of the necks and heads. Furthermore, the figural glyphs that each feathered serpent grasps also vary, one appearing to be zoomorphic; one with a noble curved nose characteristic of a lord or cazique; one with a wrinkled, bony countenance representing an elder. This main section is bordered by double red striations, and is complemented by a narrow register featuring numerous pseudoglyphs - both zoomorphic and humanoid. Size: 4.875" W x 8.875" H (12.4 cm x 22.5 cm)

The magical Mesoamerican "feathered serpent" - Kulkukan or Quetzalcoatl in Nahuatl, sometimes called Gukumatz in parts of the Maya world - captivated the ancients of the Americas throughout the ages. The pioneering artist/anthropologist Miguel Covarrubias, whose writings and illustrations of various indigenous cultures continue to contribute to scholarly studies today wrote in his important book entitled "Mexico South", "Quetzalcoatl stood for all that was good in this world: peace, art, wisdom, and prosperity. Disguised as an ant, he discovered maize, the staple food of the Indians, hidden under the mountain of Substance, Tonacatepetl; he also invented the arts, the sciences, and the calendar. In fact, everything connected with wisdom and culture was attributed to Quetzalcoatl." [Miguel Covarrubias, Mexico South: The Isthmus of Tehuantepec (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946), 130.]

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. Vases were a functional gift, created by artist/scribes who came from elite families and who took pains to recreate the stories of Mayan mythology and religion as well as to depict royal and godly personages in their artwork. This artwork reinforced the ruling ideology and reminded the viewer of what was valuable in Mayan society. Today, they teach us about the stories that were important to the Maya, like the veneration of gods, and also give us clues to how elite people lived and dressed. Scholars have painstakingly worked to decipher the meaning of the iconography and glyphs painted on cylinder jars and we know much more about them than we did even twenty years ago.

Provenance: private D. C. collection, California, USA; D. C. is an Emmy Award winning Hollywood writer and Executive Producer, collected before 2000

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#126500

Some areas of repair to the upper section with restoration to the breaks. One visible fissure running from rim to end of upper register. Expected surface wear and pigment loss commensurate with age, but painted iconography is remarkably vivid. Nice manganese deposits as well.