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Basal flanged polychrome

Clay vessel with lid. In the "basal flange" form characteristic of the Early Classical period, without glyph images. Polychrome painted. Depiction of an owl, whose sculpted head serves as a lid handle. Owls were regarded as messengers of the gods of death in Mayan mythology. This symbolism of the owl as a mediator between the upper and lower worlds is a suitable metaphor for a burial vessel. The remaining painting of a snake and three heads, which are found on both the vessel and the lid, appears relatively simple.

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Maya
Object type
Clay bowl
Dimensions
Height: 21,7 cm
Depth: 33,6 cm
Width: 33,6 cm
Depth: 10,1 cm
Weight: 3,8 kg
Material/Technique
Sound
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 47302 a,b

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    Early classical period
    where
    Mexico
    Campeche
    who
    Maya
  • Collecting
    who
    Alphonse Jax - Collectors
  • Change of legal title:
    Acquisition
    Description
    Purchase 1978
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    American Archaeology

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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