Much of Mayan art was dedicated to the
glorification of their great kings, priests and
gods. In the artistic expression of the Myriad
aspects of this complex culture, the Mayan
craftsmen excelled in the ability to fit design,
form and function in such a way as to employ
each component to its maximum, while at the
same time achieving an integrated aesthetic
unity. This ceramic effigy bowl is a stunning
example of this artistry, its rounded form
supporting the projected head of a figure,
possibly the old Mayan God N or Pauahtun. The
deity's characteristically aged face grins at the
world through a wide, toothless mouth, while
large eyes peer out above puffy cheeks. His thin
arms rest against the bowl's surface, bent in a
typical ceremonial pose. At the same time, small
protrusions at the base of the bowl give the
appearance of the God's legs, imaginatively
serving as a support for the vessel. The old
Pauahtun, one of the Mayan gods of the
underworld, was also a God of writing and of art.
Clearly, his manifestation in this extraordinary
vessel attests quite grandly to his role as a God
of the arts, for its aesthetic beauty is ageless in
its ability to please the senses.
- (PF.2586)
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