A MAYAN RITUAL CONTAINER

POSSIBLY MAYAPAN, LATE POSTCLASSIC, CA. A.D. 1100-1300

Details

A MAYAN RITUAL CONTAINER
Possibly Mayapan, Late Postclassic, ca. A.D. 1100-1300
On a pedestal base molded on one side with a brightly painted Diving Maize God, limbs deeply bent at an angle, holding a ribbed fruit, probably cacao, in his cupped hands, with fingers and nails carefully demarcated, the face with large open mouth showing teeth, recessed eyes under finely arched brows, with two disctintive blue tattoos running down the face, symbolizing sky or water, adorned with earspools, beaded bracelet, and ornamental collar, the head encased within the open jaws of an eagle, forming the headdress with side flanges and stylized corn stalks issuing from the top, with a small circular lid, in Maya blue, deep red, black, white and rich saffron.
Height overall 4 7/8 in. (13.5 cm.)

Literature

G. Berjonneau, E. Delataille et Jean-Louis Sonnery, Chefs d'Oeuvres Inédits de l'Art Précolombien, Boulogne, 1985, pl. 429; Les Mayas, pls. 550-551, for similar headdress.

Lot Essay

Cf. Trésors du Nouveau Monde, fig. 212, Chefs d'Oeuvres Inédits, pl. 428 for two other extant examples. Les Mayas, pls. 550-551, for similar headdress.

The Diving God, Yum Kaax, is closely associated with agriculture and fertility, the Maya codices portray him with Maize imagery, see Codex Trocortesianus, pl. 35a (Museo de America), but he also appears as a sacrificial offering. The association of agriculture and fertility with death makes sense with the growth cycle of maize. To create a plant, one must burn the vegetation to clear a new field. Maize is also the epitome of new life, being both the material of human creation and the basic unit of the Maya diet.

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