Mayan terracotta skull

Fragment of a burial urn figuring a skull
Maya area, 650-850 ad, kich'e department, guatemala

Ceramic, white and red pigments
H. 13 cm

This type of skull belongs to the decoration of large burials urns made in the K'iché Maya of Guatemala's southern highlands, nearly dated to the two centuries between AD 650 and 850. These urns held the remains of important people and were buried in pyramids or placed in sacred caves, where descendants made offerings and sought advice from their revered ancestors.

Our model presents a sophisticated and naturalistic craftmanship similar to the skulls adorning a cylindrical urn from the Museo Popol Vuh in Guatemala city (see photo).

Provenance : Claude Vérité (1928-2018