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K'iché burial or cache urn base

A.D. 650–850
Object PlaceGuatemala
Medium/TechniqueEarthenware: white, black, yellow, and red paint
Dimensions67.5 x 63.5 cm (26 9/16 x 25 in.)
Credit LineGift of John B. Fulling
Accession number1987.723b
On View
On view
ClassificationsCeramics
Collections
Description
A large-eared bat perches on this urn, whose body combines images of a jaguar with the spikes of the "ceiba" tree, the mythic world tree-pillar of the universe and conduit to the spiritual realm.
ProvenanceAbout 1971-1973, purchased in Guatemala by John B. Fulling (b. 1924 – d. 2005), Lighthouse Point, Florida; 1987, year-end gift of John B. Fulling to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 20, 1988)