Mayan Flasks: For All the Spirits.
When researching Pre-Columbian ceramics, I was immediately drawn to these intimate, detailed flasks that kept popping up. I love flasks, the size and detail, the unique forms, and most of all, what you put in them! These Mayan flasks, however, were not just for libations. Traces of tobacco and cacao have been found in these ancient flasks, glyphs that decorate the surface suggest poisons and medicines, as well as minerals used in funerary rituals.
Often, the glyphs that decorate the flasks would be a description of what it is meant to hold. The flask above translates to "the home of his tobacco" and this use has been confirmed through residue extractions. Some flasks, however, have glyphs that seem more decorative than explanatory. These flasks below seem to have random glyphs stamped into the clay in no particular order. It is possible that the artists were not literate, or that the decorative aspect was more important than the meaning of the glyphs.
The recovery of a miniature flask in Tazumal, El Salvador gave great insight to the extent of the rule of Copan in 7th Century western El Salvador. The flask below was excavated in 1952 and is the only found object naming the ruler in this area. It is incredible that one little flask can alter our view of history!
I am interested in the formation and surface decoration of all of these small flasks. Here's a few more that I have found.
In an effort to understand the artists and their construction of these flasks, I chose to make my own miniature flasks. I hand built the pieces and used objects such as Ball jars and cut glass goblets to create the surface decoration. Once bisqued, I inlaid dark colors into the recesses and glazed overall with a lighter color. Here are my results:
References:
A Seventh Century Inscribed Miniature Flask from Copan ... (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311092079_A_SEVENTH-CENTURY_INSCRIBED_MINIATURE_FLASK_from_COPAN_FOUND_at_TAZUMAL_EL_SALVADOR
The Cultures and History of the Americas: The Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress Online Exhibition. (2005, April 20). Retrieved December 3, 2018, from https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/kislak/kislak-exhibit.html