Mortuary offerings were placed in the tombs of Mayan noblemen to assist the deceased in their passage to the watery underworld. Funerary objects such as this were often decorated with symbols of water, marine vegetation, and animals. The painted body and lid of this vessel depict white water lilies floating against a green blue background; the water lily was seen as a plant that connects the underworld of water to the air of our world above. The petals of the lilies enclose red hieroglyphic signs, which allude to illustrious rulers and their titles. The carved areas, colored red, feature a complex array of interlocking scrolls that also symbolize water.
Details
Artist | Maya, Precolumbian |
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Title |
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Date | between 300 and 600 |
Medium | earthenware with stucco and polychrome pigments |
Dimensions | Overall: 10 1/2 × 8 inches (26.7 × 20.3 cm) |
Credit Line | Founders Society Purchase, Arthur H. Nixon Fund |
Accession Number | 1984.12 |
Department | Africa, Oceania & Indigenous Americas |
Not On View |
Provenance
El Peten, Guatemala; Peter G. Wray, Phoenix, Arizona
Published References
Masterpieces of Pre-Columbian Art From The Collection Of Mr. & Mrs. Peter G. Wray. Exh. cat., Andre Emmerich Gallery. New York, 1984, no. 26 (ill.).
Graham, I. "Looters Rob Graves and History.” National Geographic 169, no 4 (April 1986): 453-460.
Miro, M. "Art World debates renewed issue of looting." Detroit Free Press, April 8, 1986, p. 2B (ill.).
You, Yao-Fen. “From Novelty to Necessity: The Europeanization of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate.” In Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate: Consuming the World, ed. Yao-Fen You, Mimi Hellman, and Hope Saska. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2016, p. 14; 16 (ill.); 131, cat. 4.
Graham, I. "Looters Rob Graves and History.” National Geographic 169, no 4 (April 1986): 453-460.
Miro, M. "Art World debates renewed issue of looting." Detroit Free Press, April 8, 1986, p. 2B (ill.).
You, Yao-Fen. “From Novelty to Necessity: The Europeanization of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate.” In Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate: Consuming the World, ed. Yao-Fen You, Mimi Hellman, and Hope Saska. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2016, p. 14; 16 (ill.); 131, cat. 4.