**Originally Listed At $1000**

Pre-Columbian, Honduras, Mayan Ulua Valley, ca. 550 to 850 CE. An elegant, straight-sided ceramic cylinder, its exterior decorated with dense, meaningful motifs depicting a standing lord, repeated on either side. A line of glyphs separates each lord. The lord wears geometrically-patterned clothing and a huge headdress with feathers projecting from all angles. He also wears a large, round earring and is depicted leaning forward slightly. Behind him is the characteristically ornate, geometric forms of Ulua Valley artwork. Residue analysis on similar vessels suggests that this cylinder jar would have been used for the ritual ingestion of a drink made from cacao (chocolate). Size: 4.6" W x 5.15" H (11.7 cm x 13.1 cm)

The Ulua Valley, centered around the large city of Cerro Palenque, is a mystery for archaeologists; unlike the Maya, they left no written records (the glyphoid designs on this vessel do not form words), and their connection to the Classic Maya is unclear. It seems to have been a point of trade and transport - a connecting link - between the Maya world further north and Central America. The pottery from the Ulua Valley is part of a very unique tradition different even from those found at nearby Copan.

Provenance: private Miami Beach, Florida, USA collection

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#126986

Repaired from multiple pieces, with most repairs very well done and difficult to see. Small loss from rim where it one of the repaired pieces has been reattached. Small manganese deposits, especially on interior, and very nice remaining pigment.