92 - Maya Jaguar Effigy Tripod Urn with FlangesPre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya, Southern Highlands, ca. 600–850 CE. A salmon-toned earthenware urn whose cylindrical wall breaks open into the modeled face of a jaguar, muzzle thrust forward, fangs bared between drawn lips, pellet eyes bulging beneath perked, hollowed ears. An arc of applied nubs frames the face like a beaded collar, and a pie-crust ridge runs above the three short rounded feet. Two flat rectangular lappets project from the sides, wing-like slabs that give the vessel its spread silhouette. The rim is everted and undecorated, the interior plain. Vessels of this type served as containers for offerings or interments, the jaguar guarding contents likely intended for the dead. Modeling is confident and economical: appliqued elements pressed onto a wheel-less coil-built body, then burnished to a soft matte finish. Size: 8" Diam x 12.5" H (20.3 cm Diam x 31.8 cm H).

Maya Jaguar Effigy Tripod Urn with FlangesPre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya, Southern Highlands, ca. 600–850 CE. A salmon-toned earthenware urn whose cylindrical wall breaks open into the modeled face of a jaguar, muzzle thrust forward, fangs bared between drawn lips, pellet eyes bulging beneath perked, hollowed ears. An arc of applied nubs frames the face like a beaded collar, and a pie-crust ridge runs above the three short rounded feet. Two flat rectangular lappets project from the sides, wing-like slabs that give the vessel its spread silhouette. The rim is everted and undecorated, the interior plain. Vessels of this type served as containers for offerings or interments, the jaguar guarding contents likely intended for the dead. Modeling is confident and economical: appliqued elements pressed onto a wheel-less coil-built body, then burnished to a soft matte finish. Size: 8" Diam x 12.5" H (20.3 cm Diam x 31.8 cm H). The jaguar was the most charged animal in the Maya bestiary. Lord of the night sun, patron of warriors and of the underworld passage, it appears on thrones, incense burners, and funerary furniture throughout the Classic period. The Jaguar God of the Underworld, marked by cruller eyes and filed teeth, carried the sun through the darkness between sunset and dawn, which made feline imagery a natural guardian for vessels holding the remains or offerings of the dead. In the southern highlands, urns of this kind were often deposited in tombs and cache pits, where the effigy face turned outward to confront whoever might disturb it. Provenance: Ex. Collection of Jerome Grunes, MD. Chicago. Acquired 1970’s. To family by descent. SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.). PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item #73081Repaired from approximately twelve original pieces with restoration over the break lines, right ear restored and the two flanges are partially restored. Some scattered minor ancient shallow rim edge losses.