SMALL XOCHIPALA STONE INCISED BOWL EARLY PRECLASSIC, CIRCA 1200-900 BC

Finely incised in deep green serpentine, this vessel shows the highly schematic image of an animated profile of a zoomorphic large-eyed creature with spiked crested head and teeth, it faces the arched back possibly of another creature, decorated with a similar spiked perimeter. For a vessel with a naturalistic creature of spiked physiognomy, see Berrin and Fields, eds., Olmec: Colossal Masterworks from Ancient Mexico, San Francisco, 2010, pl. 105; see also mayavase.com, K7093, K7094, and K7095 for vessels in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.