**First Time At Auction**

Pre-Columbian, Southern Mexico to Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A hand-built polychrome bowl with a wonderful iconographic/decorative program. On the exterior are three stylized monkeys delineated in black in a playful profile pose. Between the simian creatures are three large red balls. Above the monkeys is a narrow register of stylized glyphoids (concentric circular and stepped motifs) delineated in russet red and tawny orange that are framed by chocolate brown double striations. This is complemented by an upper register of striated and fretted bands in the same color scheme on the interior of the vessel - all upon a beige ground. Size: 7.875" in diameter x 3.125" H (20 cm x 7.9 cm)

Four species of monkeys lived in the Maya region in Pre-Columbian times: two types of howler monkeys, the spider monkey, and the capuchin. These animals fascinated the Maya and were popular subjects of their artwork, often depicted carrying valuable goods like cacao, symbolized by the red ball.

Provenance: ex-private Washington, D.C. collection, acquired in March 1989; ex-private New York, USA collection, acquired from 1966

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#151396

Expected surface wear commensurate with age. Nice burnishing marks and scattered mineral deposits. Old collection number handwritten on tondo. Collection sticker on base.