Item: Mayan Cylinder
Material: Ceramic
Dimensions: 90mm x 90mm x 120mm 355g
Era: 550 - 830 CE
Culture: Mayan
Region: Southwestern El Salvador
Condition: Good. No cracks or chips. Heavily bespeckled with manganese dioxide accretions.
Description: A poly-chrome Mayan cylinder decorated with images of Mayan warriors, adorned in ceremonial uniforms, receiving their marching orders from their leader. There is a story board of hieroglyphs incised in the space between the leader and his column of men.
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 as illustrated in the video link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFjc0r6v_Ok