Comes with Certificate of Authenticity Provided with unconditional 1 year return policy along with provenance. Central America, El Salvador, Maya, Copador type, Late Classic Period, ca. 600 to 900 CE (AD). A stunning pottery bowl elaborately hand-painted with rich iconography of the ancient Maya iconography. Distinctive Copador style - a regional ceramic tradition that blends Maya and neighboring influences, often associated with elite contexts. This elegant hemispherical bowl of shallow profile, boldly painted in the distinct Copador style. The composition is crowned by a wide, outward-flaring rim and decorated with complex iconographic scenes on both its interior and exterior. Inside the bowl, six plump turkeys encircle the central medallion, each rendered in animated profile with curling feathers, crested heads, and boldly painted wattles. They appear to stride around a central rosette formed of four teardrop shapes arranged in a quartered cross, possibly representing the four cardinal directions - a cosmological motif often tied to concepts of order and fertility in Maya belief. On the exterior, five seated figures in elaborate headdresses - likely scribes or nobles - each grasp styluses or bark-paper codices, evoking the esteemed Maya tradition of elite literacy. Size: 7.9" Diameter x 3.33" H (20.1 cm x 8.7 cm)
Their expressive postures and costume details reinforce their ceremonial status, linking the vessel to themes of wisdom, power, and ritual performance.
Painted in iron-rich reds and dark umber blacks atop a creamy buff slip, the bowl displays hallmark Copador traits: stylized glyphic forms, animated linework, and a high-contrast palette. These features reflect the bowl's likely function as a prestige item - perhaps used in feasting, offerings, or elite gift exchange. An exceptional example of cross-cultural exchange and artistic refinement at the southern edge of the Maya world.
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
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Condition:
Small chip to rim as well as some nicks and abrasions in areas, but, otherwise, intact and excellent with rich manganese deposits to surface.
Released from private collection that has sold in New York City galleries as well as top auction houses-Guaranteed Authentic as described.
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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