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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Mayan Poison Bottles : Mayan Terracotta Poison Bottle
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Mayan Terracotta Poison Bottle - PF.4543
Origin: Guatemala
Circa: 500
AD
to 900
AD
Dimensions:
3.5" (8.9cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Terracotta
$7,500.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
It is impossible to overestimate the importance
ritual and ceremony had on Maya society. To
perform a sacred rite was the re-enactment of
procedure and method in an exact sequence
choreographed precisely as an exquisite dance.
Music, language and art played a crucial role in
presenting a visual and audible structure within
which the gods could communicate with mortals;
and if successful, everyone could experience a
transcendent moment of reality. This principal
applies to any context where ritual is precisely
followed, including matters, which touch only
one individual at a time. The joy of discovering
such gems as this lovely flask is that it brings us
into direct contact with an esoteric symbolism
that is, nonetheless, very human and exciting.
Inscribed on both front and back is a scene
where the same event is taking place. Two
seated male figures face each other, separated by
a column of glyphs. The one on the left is the
God L, known as Lord One Death, seen smoking
his characteristic cigar. He is facing another deity
known as God K. This flask may have contained
powdered pigments or other materials such as
copal incense. If so, then it might have belonged
to a painter. In fact, its size and shape is quite
similar to containers of copal oil used by artists
today. The inscribed scene, along with the
glyphs, constitutes a vital part of the
effectiveness of the liquid held within. Art as
language could attract power through ritual and
influence material things. A simple object
thereby becomes something extraordinary,
imbued with magic and otherworldly mystery
used for the heavenly pursuit of painting.
- (PF.4543)
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