Pre-Columbian, Mexico to Guatemala, Proto-Maya, Preclassic period, ca. 500 BCE to 100 CE. A fantastical pottery bowl deeply incised with human faces in profile amid swirling geometric and glyph like shapes. The main register contains 4 humanoid profiles with sinuous bands encircling them and feathery protrusions, the larger face seems to be emerging from between teeth with a curled tongue under the man's chin, a stylistic variant of the classic "vision serpent." These faces are likely supernatural spirits, deities, or ancestors. Such a depictions are well-documented and understood by scholars to represent the conjuring of a deceased ancestor, Lord or deity, who emerges from the mouth of a Vision Serpent (or Och Chan) - only possible through the auto-sacrificial blood offering of the participant! Size: 5.5" Diameter x 4.5" H (14 cm x 11.4 cm)

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report is available to the buyer upon request.

Provenance: ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Amiguet's Ancient Art, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to January 1, 2010

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#174451

Stable hairline pressure fissures in base and exterior and rim. Light mineral deposits and earthen encrustations on surface. Motifs are sharp and clear. Tl hole on inside of rim and 2nd Tl hole on base.