Plate c. 500 - 800

pigment, ceramic

circular oval feature

pigment

egg art

cake food

ceramic

culinary art

food illustration

stoneware

ceramic

food art

watercolour illustration

watercolor

This Maya ceramic plate, dating back to between 500 and 800 CE, features a central image of a figure in a stylized pose, adorned with intricate details. The plate's surface is decorated with a striking combination of red and black pigments against a light-colored background, showcasing the artistry of this Mesoamerican civilization. Found in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, this piece offers insights into Maya artistry and cultural practices.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Among the Maya, members of the nobility offered elaborately painted vessels to each other as gifts to maintain political and social connections among leading families. They often commissioned these items from scribes, literate aristocrats who painted images and wrote hieroglyphic texts on ceramics and in codices (singular: codex; books on bark paper). Painted ceramics also functioned as serving dishes for important feasts and for making offerings. Maya ceramic painting reached its peak between 600 and 900, when artists produced innovative designs combining hieroglyphs with geometric elements, and images of humans and gods. The central figure here is the Maize God, the most important Maya god. He is recognizable by his unique attributes including his head and hairdo, elongated to imitate the shape of an ear of corn and cornsilk, and the red body paint covering all but his face.