A Superb Maya Vase with False Bottom...

Description

A Superb Maya Vase with False Bottom
El Petén, Guatemala, c. 600-800 AD

Hollow ceramic, painted in a striking palette limited to orange and black on a cream ground. This highly distinctive vase is constructed with a false bottom, a hollow chamber containing pellets that rattle when the vessel is moved. Four drilled holes, arranged in pairs at either side of the false base, further emphasize its unusual and likely intentional acoustic design. The cylindrical body is painted with three elongated figures, each sharply bent forward at the waist and standing on long legs upon a basal band whose height corresponds to the depth of the false bottom. That band is divided into small rectangular compartments, each enclosing a pale orange glyph-like motif. The figures themselves are exceptionally elegant and animated, with attenuated bodies, large bead necklaces, looping waist ornaments with long streamers falling front and back, and elaborate stacked headdresses surmounted by plumes. Each extends one arm forward to touch the top of a segmented or feathered staff. Their bodies are painted black, while the pale face of one figure creates a dramatic visual contrast that may suggest underworld or ceremonial associations. Vertical bands of pseudo-glyphs separate the figures, while a band of biomorphic motifs encircles the rim. The interior rim is further ornamented with a variegated step-fret design. Altogether, the vessel combines refined draftsmanship, unusual construction, and an arresting pictorial program, making it an especially compelling example of Maya polychrome ceramic art.

In very good, intact condition, with black spotting extending approximately 2 inches up from the base around the circumference and affecting one figure in particular; minor surface scrapes on the rim; interior somewhat soiled.

Provenance:
Collection of Walker Murray Randle, Granbury, TX

Height: 7 inches

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