Pre-Columbian, Honduras, Copan, Mayan, ca. 550-850. Imagine if football, basketball, soccer, or hockey were extreme sports in which the stakes were literally life or death! The Central and Meso-American ballgame is still somewhat of a mystery; however, we do know a few things. The Mayans played it for over 1500 years with a hard rubber ball about the size of a grapefruit. The object of the game was to get the ball through a hole in a vertical stone disk, but players were not permitted to touch the ball with their hands or have the ball hit the ground. The ancients used their buttocks, thighs and upper torsos to control the ball and wore large yokes around their waists to deflect and direct the ball. Back to that matter of life of death, for many years it was believed that the winner may have been sacrificed to the gods as a 'the perfect' offering and that being such a god sacrifice was a great honor. This disk was a floor marker from an ancient ballcourt. It is carved in relief from limestone embellished with generous amounts of red cinnabar. The composition is comprised of a highly decorated king or lord depicted in profile at center - donning battle garb, an elaborate, headdress, large ear spools, and brandishing a weapon. A small figure, perhaps a child intended for bloodletting to offer to the deities appears to be tethered to his leg, and two attendants in ceremonial dress accompany the lord at his sides. Works such as this example were oftentimes used to present political and religious ideologies to the public. Oftentimes ballcourt markers were decorated with scenes of the actual ballgame; however, this iconography and text carved into the stela were intended to demonstrate the king's power. The regal lord at center is depicted as handsome, youthful, and athletic - wearing impractical yet impressive oversized headdresses and authoritative garb. The accompanying text is indecipherable to us; however, texts of similar scenes on stelae generally were employed to explicate on the biography of the ruler and his ancestors. This is a historical work that is rarely accessible to collectors. A must for any Mayanophile! Custom, museum-quality stand as shown. 19-1/2" diameter x 1-1/2"thick.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The image quality presented here is fairly low resolution. To truly see the beauty of the stone and iconography, please email us for higher reolution photos.

Provenance: Ex-Denver Art Museum, acquired in 1986, de-accessioned in the mid-1990s; ex-Ron Messick Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM, ex-prominent Hollywood, CA collection.

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Some of the incised lines have been enhanced; however, the piece is original. Minor age nicks and loss. Overall in excellent to near choice condition.