Pre-Columbian, Mexico and Guatemala, Mayan Territories, Late Classic, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A tall cylinder vessel with a lid and bird head ring handle- the lid does not match this vessel but is of the same style and era as the body. The surface of the pottery was once the canvas for a painted and stucco scene or glyphs, but time and exposure has worn these away leaving only remains of the ochre, white, and red over the buff surface. Although stylized the ring handle is unmistakably the profile of a bird - likely a waterfowl, such as a duck. Ducks were viewed as sacred animals of the watery realm and the sky world, as they could both dive deep under water and fly long distances through the air. The Muscovy duck is the earliest domesticated duck species in the Americas and has a distinctive bumpy, red face and sometimes which the Maya would have been keenly aware of. Size: 6" Diameter x 9.75" H (15.2 cm x 24.8 cm)

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

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#175113

Stable hair line fissure on lid. Lid is not matching but from the same period. Losses to stucco and painted pigments throughout, motifs are indiscernible. Body is intact without repairs. Nice manganese blooms throughout and remains of stucco and pigments.