Tripod plate with rattle supports
Maya, Early Classic period, A.D. 500–600
Belize or Mexico, Maya Lowlands
8.6 x 44.5 cm (3 3/8 x 17 1/2 in.)
Earthenware: red and black on orange slip paint
Basal-flanged plate with narrative scene depicting two
standing male figures. The figure on the left holds a decapitated human head
by its long hair, and three jadeite belt plaques are suspended below the
head. The figure on the right stands in a dance pose and wears an elaborate
feathered back ornament. Two hieroglyphs between the two figures have been
repainted in modern times, and the black outlines of the figures also have
been in-painted. The interior wall of the plate is embellished with a
U-shaped iconographic element that resembles a typical flat-roofed Classic
period building. The exterior wall is decorated with an abstract renderings
of a saurian, perhaps with waterlily associations. Three hollow supports
contain ceramic pellets that produce a rattling sound.
Vase with appliqued snakes
Maya, Late Classic period, A.D. 550–850
Belize
15.2 x 17.2 cm (6 x 6 3/4 in.)
Earthenware: unslipped and burnished, traces of white pigment
The body of this jar is embellished with small irregular
globs of clay, unslipped and unsmoothed. Within this rough clay matrix are
two modeled serpents with smoothly burnished bodies, the visual effect
resembling snakes slithering within loosen or tilled soil. The vessel is
uncharacteristically heavy in weight due to the clay matrix added to the
vase's surface and its unusually thick bottom and tall ring base.
Place of Manufacture: northern Belize
12.8 x 13.4 cm (5 1/16 x 5 1/4 in.)
Earthenware: red, gray (originally green), and black on orange ground
The narrative scene renders an enema-taking ritual by
three male humans. Two kneeling figures insert into their anuses the nozzle
of an enema bag, and the third seated figure has tucked the bag into the
back of his loin cloth.
Human effigy incense burner or cache vessel
Maya, Postclassic period, A.D. 1250–1500
Belize
75.5 x 44 x 42 cm (29 3/4 x 17 5/16 x 16 9/16 in.)
Earthenware: white post-fire paint
A large, circular container or urn with tall annular base
is embellished with a modeled rendering of a standing male figure. He wears
a long tunic and loincloth, a wide collar with three disk ornaments and a
large pendant hanging below the collar, and sandals with tall backs and
tie-ends at the front. He also wears large, circular earflares and a
curvilinear adornment on his nose bridge. His headdress has side flaps that
extend over his shoulders and onto his back, the front of which is modeled
in the form of a zoomorphic head with pointed snout. Two vertical lines of
spikes on the sides of the container resemble the typical decorated flanges
found on burial urns from the southern Guatemalan highlands. The urn
contains approximately 50 small pieces (average size 1.5 x 3 cm) of
dessicated copal incense covered with the same post-fire white paint as that
on the vessel's exterior surface.
In publishing free
websites, we rely on the help and support of
our visitors. Can you contribute to
our website? Do you have photos that
you would like to share? Can you
improve our information? Would you like
to advertise? Can you visit a
sponsor's website? Can you make a small
donation (a major portion will be given to help
protect the Nazca lines and support Peruvian
research). Thank you for your visit to
www.PrehispanicCeramics.com
PrehispanicPottery.com
An Ancient America Archaeology Site
Published by McGuinnessPublishing Created
by Tim McGuinness, Ph.D., Member of the Society for American
Archaeology The
information presented is believed to be correct and accurate.
However,
please let us know of any errors.
This is a scholarly work for non-profit educational purposes.
Presented FREE to students, teachers & educators, and the public in
the interest of developing awareness of the subject and in helping
to preserve our common heritage. Some content is public
domain, some content used under "Fair Use" provision of section 107
U.S. Copyright Law. Some content from third-parties. All
third-party copyrights acknowledged. Sources credited where
possible or known. If we have not correctly credited a source
- please let us know.
Our Websites are dedicated
to:
Kyra, Mar, and the whole McFamily! Past, Present, and Future!
Past, Present, and Future - Here, There, and Everywhere! And to
friends in Spain, Costa Rica, Peru, and a Land Down Under - You know who you are!
Important Notice:
Some older
McGuinnessPublishing & McGuinnessOnline web addresses no longer function. Older domain names may no
longer be for McGuinness websites due to domain snatching! However,
domain names remain trademarks of Tim McGuinness regardless of current
registration.
Please send comments to: wesayso
@
mcguinnesspublishing
.
com
