Pre-Columbian, Mexico and northern Central America, Maya Territories, Late Classic, ca. 550 to 950 CE. A rare and remarkable pottery vessel of cuboid form presenting an applied, flared foot and thick walls that stretch to a broad, rectangular rim. Each side of this wonderful example has been incised with an intricate quadrilateral border comprised of square and rectangular glyphs, or Maya script. A lustrous burnish over a black glaze gives the ancient dish a near-metallic sheen. Size: 4.375" L x 4" W x 6.375" H (11.1 cm x 10.2 cm x 16.2 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: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Roy Oswald collection, Arizona, USA, acquired from 1960 to 2004

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#162977

Collection label and collection number on base. Repaired from several pieces with restoration and repainting over break lines. Otherwise, excellent with remarkable remaining pigment and detail.