Pre-Columbian, Highlands (Chiapas, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador), Maya Late Classic Period, ca. 600 CE. A large orangeware plate with rounded tripod legs. The interior center of the bowl depicts a standing priest, posed dynamically as if dancing, with a well-drawn face and head in the classic Maya style and huge feathered bracelets and clothing. Feathers were reserved for the highest ranking members of society. Around the interior is a band of glyphs that covers approximately half of the rim; the other half is painted a darker orange and unadorned. The exterior below the rim is unpainted, although the lower edge has been decoratively notch. Size: 13.45" W x 3.25" H (34.2 cm x 8.3 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 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 this a much rarer find than a piece of domestic pottery. Instead, a bowl like this was made to be placed into a tomb as an offering.

Provenance: ex-Florida, USA collection: ex-old private Midwest, USA collection, collected in the 1960s

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#137314

Repaired from five pieces, with repairs well done and unobtrusive. Small losses around the edges of the repaired areas. Nice preservation of motifs.