Two Maya Urns with Jaguar Lids... (Total: 2 )

Description

Two Maya Urns with Jaguar Lids
Mesoamerica, c. 600-900 AD

A well-matched pair of ceramic urns, each surmounted by a jaguar lid and conceived with a lively interplay between vessel form and sculptural imagery. One is raised on small tripod legs and decorated on one side with a stylized human face; its upper rim is crisply crimped in a pie-crust pattern that corresponds neatly to the lower edge of the lid. Above sits an upright jaguar, one paw held forward while resting on a raised knee, giving the composition an alert and animated presence. The second urn, in buff-brown ceramic, is topped by a reclining jaguar and features a modeled deity face on the front. Together, the two works display the imaginative vitality characteristic of ancient Mesoamerican ceramic traditions, uniting utilitarian form with feline imagery of ceremonial force.

Pigments of pinkish red, tan, and cream remain visible on the first example; on the second, black painted designs can still be discerned faintly beneath an encrusted surface often described as a "cave" patina. As a pair, they are especially appealing for the variation they bring to a shared ceremonial type: one more architectural and upright, the other more compact and reposeful in conception.

Both in good condition. The first with the lower bowl restored from approximately four original pieces; the lid with visible restoration to the flaring base, and with the jaguar's fingers missing. The second in very good, intact condition, with surface encrustation on the lid and one ear restored.

Provenance:
Collection of Walker Murray Randle, Granbury, TX
Further provenance for the first:
A Private collection, Connecticut, acquired 1965-1968
Further provenance for the second:
Barry Kernerman, Toronto, Canada
Samuel Dubiner collection, Tel Aviv, Israel, acquired in 1960s.

Assembled heights: 11 inches each

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000.

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