Pre-Columbian, Maya Territories, Guatemala, Ulua Valley, Classic Period, ca. 600 to 900 CE. A beautiful pottery tripod vessel displaying a flat, circular base and thick wall that gently slant outwards to an annular flared rim, all sitting upon 3 rectangular feet. Adorned in hues of sienna, grey, and black upon a vibrant orange ground, this remarkable dish features a top register of a repeated reptilian figure with a long snout and an undulating body around its rim and a thick band of intricate Mayan glyphs. Additional elaborate glyphs embellish each foot, while 3 lovely step pyramid motifs decorate the base. Size: 10.125" in diameter x 3.5" H (25.7 cm x 8.9 cm)

These ancient glyphs may convey an important date, a secret message, or simply be part of the vessel's aesthetic program. According to Dorie Reents-Budet, "One of the remarkable characteristics of Classic Maya painted pottery is the use of writing as more than simply a way to communicate ideas. As in the Islamic tradition, Maya artists employed calligraphy as a prime design feature and as an integral part of the total composition… The hieroglyphic texts also were used as compositional devices, placed specifically to help define the internal tensions, balances and divisions within the pictorial field." (Dorie Reents-Budet, "Painting the Maya Universe: Royal Ceramics of the Classic Period", Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1994, page 12)

Provenance: ex-Stein collection, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, acquired prior to 2010; ex-Lost World Artifacts, Acworth, Georgia, USA

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#163938

Re-glazed. Repairs to rim with restoration over break lines. Possible repainting in areas. Expected scratches and abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent.