Sick man Mayan culture, Jaina Island, Mexico... - Lot 70 - Giquello

Lot 70
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Estimation :
40000 - 50000 EUR
Sick man Mayan culture, Jaina Island, Mexico... - Lot 70 - Giquello
Sick man Mayan culture, Jaina Island, Mexico Late Classical, 600-900 A.D. Brown ceramic with traces of blue pigment H. 8,5 cm - W. 19,5 cm Maya Jaina effigy of a sick man, buffware with traces of blue pigment, Mexico City, H. 3 1/4 in - W. 7 3/4 in Provenance: Private American Collection Acquired by the present owner in 1997 Merrin Gallery, New York This ceramic statuette of a sick man is representative of the so-called "Jaina" style figurines, named after an island site in the present Mexican state of Campeche, where many examples have been discovered in excellent condition (having been part of funeral trousseaux, which was not usually the case). These "Jaina" statuettes are the most elegant type of terracotta figurines produced by the Mayan culture and, like the extraordinary polychrome pottery belonging to the Tepeu ceramic sphere, they are characteristic of the recent classical period (between the end of the 6th century and the 9th). Although the function of these objects is still subject to discussion today, what distinguishes them from most Mayan productions of that time is what appears to us to show a certain naturalism. While the figures depicted on the pottery generally belong to the realm of the divine and myths, while those on the monuments are overwhelmed by symbolic ornaments, the classical Maya people do indeed seem to have been depicted there as they would have been seen in everyday life, even though many details suggest that the relationship to the sacred and the ritual are in fact never absent either. Here, a man whose thinness and disproportionate belly suggest a disease such as cirrhosis of the liver is in such a state that he is shown lying down. Scrolls of blood can be seen on his forehead and tears seem to be flowing under his left eye (right). However, his hairstyle is impeccable, his loincloth and jewellery (ear ornaments and necklace) were painted "Mayan blue" to indicate the semi-precious ston
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