Polychrome vessel with glyphs and human figures

Polychrome vessel with glyphs and human figures

DateA.D.600-900

MediumCeramic, paint, and slip

Dimensions4 3/4 x 4 7/8 inches (12.1 x 12.4 cm)

CultureMaya (Mexico)

PeriodLate Classic

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineAcquired through the Membership Purchase Fund

Terms

México
Ceramics
slip
Earrings
Headdresses
Loincloths
Maya

Object number70.040

Label CopyBRIEF DESCRIPTION This Maya bowl features polychrome paintings of human figures and Mayan glyphs. WHERE WAS IT MADE? This bowl was made in Central America. HOW WAS IT MADE? This bowl was likely hand-built with the coil method. In this method, a base is made by shaping clay into a flat disc. Then hand formed coils of clay, like ropes, are successively added to one another, building up the walls of the bowl. A tool such as a wooden paddle is used to smooth the sides both inside and out, leaving no trace of the coils. Before the bowl was fired, it was painted with slip. Unlike resin-based paints applied after firing, which wash off if scrubbed and burn off when heated, slip-painted decoration is relatively resistant to ordinary wear and tear. Slip paint is made by mixing different-colored clays or ground mineral pigments with water. Although some colors are naturally present in the clay, others can be made by adding powdered minerals to clay; for example, minerals high in iron produce rich oranges and reds, while those containing various forms of copper produce blues and greens. HOW WAS IT USED? We do not know for sure how this bowl was used. Except for contact-period ceramics and for some grave goods, it is very difficult to determine who used any given piece of pottery, and under what circumstances. Were some vessels reserved for special guests, or for use by high-status elders? Were they used during special religious ceremonies or rituals? Was their use avoided by certain classes of people, such as children and/or menstruating women? As we venture farther back into the past, answering such questions becomes increasingly difficult. Although it is tempting to draw on information from modern traditional societies and from contact-period chronicles, inferences drawn from such sources must be used with care. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS? This deep Maya bowl is decorated with colorful human figures and glyphs on a creamy white slip ground. The human figures stand with right arms raised and left arms lowered, wearing ear flares, loincloths (also called an “ex”), and elaborate headdresses that resemble the feathered axes of the rain god Chaak. The curvilinear shapes below the headdresses are speech scrolls. Speech scrolls are markings that depict the speech emanating from someone’s mouth, like a speech bubble in a cartoon. ABOUT THE MAYA CULTURE: The Maya civilization was one of the premier civilizations of Mesoamerica, achieving great masterpieces of art and architecture, a sophisticated calendrical system, and a formal system of writing that has only been deciphered in the past several decades. A much more detailed view is emerging of the Mayan city-states located in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Belize, and adjacent areas of Guatemala and Honduras. Although the exact details of the Maya collapse in the 800’s are still controversial, it appears that excessive warfare and violence, coupled with environmental degradation and the stress of a large population, led to the demise of this once-vibrant culture. Populations crashed, with survivors of the urban centers dispersing to more rural areas. To see another Mayan object with glyphs in the Johnson Museum’s collection, search for object number 2000.096 in the keyword search box.

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