Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, probably Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 700 to 850 CE. A tall, hand-built pottery cylinder with a flat base, a deep interior cavity, and a thin rim. The body exhibits a light-brown hue while top and bottom rims display a crimson-hued band with a set of grooved horizontal lines delineating them from the body. The midsection of the body displays a decorative register of incised and interlaced loops reminiscent of a fishing net, each serpentine band braided within one another. The interior displays a black hue, perhaps the result of an intense firing process. Used primarily to consume cacao-based beverages, these cylinders are wonderful reminders of the skill exhibited by Mayan artisans! Size: 8.375" H (21.3 cm).

According to Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education scholars Dorie Reents-Budet and Ronald Bishop, "Today, when high-profile foreign dignitaries visit the White House, they can expect to attend grand dinners and to receive gifts, often custom-made by the best artists in the country. The gifts honor the visitor and showcase the giver's fine taste. In the days of the Classic Maya (A.D. 250-900), state-level gift-giving was little different, and no gift reflected more meaning or artistic expertise than the painted ceramic vase…The vases, used both to serve food at feasts and as gifts presented at such events, were created by highly skilled painters who had mastered the intricacies of Classic Maya religious mythology, ideology, and history..." (Archaeology Archive, Vol. 56,Number 2, March/April 2003, abstract).

Provenance: private Tacoma, Washington, USA collection

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#131465

Age-commensurate surface wear and abrasions, minor nicks and chips to body, base, rim, and interior, light fading to pigmentation, with small loss to portion of rim, otherwise excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout.