Polychrome Bowl

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There are two seated figures occupying the frieze on the vessel's exterior. The pictorial frieze involves red, yellow, and brown pigment on a white background.

Culture Maya

Title Polychrome Bowl

Date 8th century

Medium Clay and pigment

Dimensions Object: 3 3/4 × 7 3/16 in. (9.5 × 18.3 cm)
Overall: 3 3/4 x 7 3/16 in. (9.5 x 18.3 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 73.10.4

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About this Work

While many Maya ceramics that survive today served utilitarian functions they were also valued as art objects. The Maya assigned individual names for different ceramic forms and often knew the names of the artist who created each work as well as the individual who had originally commissioned it.

Two figures are depicted on this bowl, one wearing a deer’s head and the other wearing a bird head. These figures are typically depicted as antagonists within a ball court scene. The human form is common throughout Maya art, depicting both gods and mortals.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Polychrome Bowl | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=73.10.4