• Maya Polychrome Tetrapod High-shouldered Plate with Agouti Feet

  • Late Classic period, 600-900 CE
  • Artist unknown (Mayan) [Elizabeth D. Olton]
  • Ceramic
  • 10.2 x 28.3 x 28.4 cm., 4 x 11-1/8 x 11-3/16"
  • Gift of Dr. E. Richard Parker through Catherine Carter Goebel, Paul A. Anderson Chair in the Arts, Paul A. Anderson Art History Collection, Augustana College 2005.30.1

Essay by Elizabeth D. Olton, Class of 1987

The subject of this brief essay, a Maya polychrome tetrapod plate, is an object that comes to Augustana, like many ancient works, lacking some basic information. By looking at this plate's formal qualities and comparing it to similar painted vessels, it can be dated to the Late Classic period of the Maya civilization 600-900 CE. Its visual features suggest the piece was likely made in an area that today is defined by eastern Guatemala and Belize.

Although the plate does not have hieroglyphic writing, imagery from the interior of the plate depicts symbols that we understand today. Two circular bands and a large round frame organize the interior space. Within the outermost band are four red "water stacks" and four groups of five red vertical lines. Most likely these lines represent the number five, while the stacked motifs can be read as signs for "surface of the water." Groups of circles decorate the second interior band, the most significant being the four quincunx designs. Each sign is arranged like a square and is composed of four circles at the corners, with one in the middle. A quincunx with its four cardinal directions and center symbolized the universe. A seated figure in profile view occupies the central frame. His skull-like face and discolored left arm might refer to death; his unnaturally thin body and padded costume, in turn, might allude to a mummy bundle. Supporting the plate are four legs modeled to look like the head and snout of an agouti, which is a large rodent that still lives in Central America in burrows under the earth's surface.

The plate's iconography and context tell us it was used in funerary ritual. The water stacks and agouti heads might refer to breaking through the surface of water and earth, actions which were central to Maya burials. The number five is at the core of the Maya numerical system and the quincunx describes their worldview.

Among the ancient Maya, polychromed ceramic pieces were usually reserved for use by the elite class. The pedestal legs provided the dish with height, while its colors and graphic designs added visual drama. Most of these painted ceramics were found in elite burial contexts, where they were used once and then ritually interred. Augustana's vessel is part of this tradition. It is in excellent condition, with rich colors and a smooth shiny surface.