- Title
- Carved Bowl with Jaguar Effigy Handles
- Culture
- Maya
- Date Made
- 600–900 CE
- Medium
- Stone
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 4 1/5 in. (10.668 cm); 2 3/10 x 7 1/2 x 4 3/10 in. (5.842 x 19.05 x 10.922 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2010.115.386
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Ancient Americas
- Curatorial Notes
The Indigenous peoples of the Ulúa Valley, a unique cultural region on the eastern outskirts of the Maya world in what is now northwestern Honduras, developed a sophisticated tradition of sculpting bowls and drinking cups from solid blocks of creamy white marble. The great skill required to shape this stone, procured from a local quarry in the region, conferred prestige upon the vessels. Those with known archaeological context were recovered from royal tombs and palaces, confirming their status as luxury goods for elite members of society. Curling scrolls, serpentine figures, and geometric bands characterize the style of the white marble vessels of the Ulúa Valley. This small and shallow bowl features a frontal face, whose curling lip reveals its bared teeth. A pair of handles on either side of the bowl depict snarling jaguars, their faces turned upward.
Alyce de Carteret
2025
