Item: Eclipse Vessel

Material: Ceramic

Dimensions: 160mm x 149mm x 160mm  1060g

Era: 6th period 1350 t0 1550 CE

Culture: Mayoide

Region: Guanacaste

Condition: Excellent 

Description: Polychrome Vessel in the shape of a human mask with ceremonial depictions of an eclipse ritual on the backside.

Provenance: Acquired in Nicaragua by a private collector in 1976

To ensure authenticity the subject piece was examined with a Leica MZ 7.5 stereoscopic microscope.

All or some of the following elements were found and photographed.

One or more photos from the examination is included in the photo gallery

• Alkaline mineral accretions
• Fine root hairs in the minute crevasses
• Obvious signs of antiquity in the glazed surfaces
• Sharp edges polished by burial erosion caused by millennia of seismic activity
• Oxidization consistent with the age of the item
• Lifeless insect larvae in the minute crevasses  
• Manganese dioxide accretions tested with H2O2