Head of a Nobleman or Priest. - Fine Quality! - - Published! - Maya, c. 200 - 750 AD. MATERIAL: Stucco. SIZE: Height 29 cm without stand. PROVENANCE: - Private collection, Max Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden. (1933 - 2001). - Christie's, Amsterdam, 2001. - Woolley and Wallis, Salisbury, 2014. - Private collection, Remy Rey, London, United Kingdom. CONDITION: Good state of conservation. It has a surface eroded by the passage of time. DESCRIPTION: Head dating from the Classic Period, modeled in stucco in a round shape. The rear shows an uneven surface, perhaps due to deterioration or, more likely, original; Due to its size and material appearance, this head must have been part of a full-body sculpture of the type that appeared covering many of the exterior walls of Mayan buildings (fig. 1). The face is elongated, rigorously symmetrical, ideal in its proportions and features, with a central axis marked by the long and narrow nose. This extends vertically, joining with the ornament located on the forehead inclined backwards to form the typical Mayan profile, and falls in an elegant curve, in its lower half. The eyes are crescent-shaped, with thick eyelids drooping under a frown, with highly arched eyebrows. The thick lips also purse following an expressive sinuous profile, and open slightly as if the sculpture were breathing. The cheeks form a soft curve, without prominent cheekbones, and the chin is rounded and short, closing the balanced arch that began at the forehead, as seen in the profile view. The beautiful and at the same time terrible expression of the face would originally acquire, thanks to the polychrome, an almost supernatural appearance. The character appears richly adorned, like a ruler or a deity. The hair is cut in a staggered manner, framing the forehead and temples. Above it is what appears to be a tall feather headdress, very vertical as is usual in Mayan representations. Elaborate earflaps on both sides of the face would complete the outfit; Currently, only the one on the right side is preserved, which appears flat and wider at the bottom. On the left side you can see the trace of the space that the base of the second earflap would have occupied. Mayan sculpture ranges from monumental stone pieces, often stuccoed and polychrome, to miniatures meticulously carved in hard stones such as jade, through ceramic production of great virtuosity, variety and richness. At the height of their civilization, the kings and queens of the powerful Mayan city-states promoted the arts with active patronage, protecting painters and sculptors who even signed their works. Within Mayan sculpture, representations of rulers and supernatural beings predominate, anthropomorphic, zoomorphic or mixed characters worked with a naturalistic language in their movement and expression, although always ideal in their forms, which achieved a mastery during the Classic Period unmatched by any other . another Mesoamerican culture. Developed in an immense area that included Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, a large part of Mexico and the western part of Honduras, the Mayan culture developed from approximately 2000 BC. What differentiates it from the rest of Mesoamerican cultures is the use of writing. In fact, it was probably the main tool for its extraordinary development, since it allowed remote communications and historical recording; It did not cover just one or two population centers, but dozens of cities and towns belonging to the same belief system, sharing the same culture. In the Protoclassical Period (50 BC – 250 AD) the first stelae representing religious scenes and those related to power appear, and the first pyramids are built. This is also the moment of the founding of Teotihuacán, whose culture exerted a notable influence on the Mayans, especially their cult of war. With the flourishing of Mesoamerica during the Classic Period (250-900 AD), Mayan cities prospered under a dynastic regime whose power was reflected in the numerous depictions of individual kings on stelae, accompanied by texts glorifying their reigns. Different dynasties emerged in the different cities, with Tikal probably being the first to start wars of conquest against its neighbors, following the ideology and war technology promulgated by the Teotihuacans. The Mayan kings then began to record their victories, genealogies and the passage of time itself in their monuments. By the beginning of the 8th century, the Mayan aristocracy enjoyed hitherto unparalleled wealth, but lived in a time of continuous conflicts between cities and kings. The population grew rapidly, which also led to rapid degradation of the natural environment, unable to produce enough food. Towards the end of the 8th century and during the 9th century, what was known as the Mayan Collapse occurred: the ceremonial enclosures were abandoned and the population was drastically reduced. By the year 900, Mayan rule had already been replaced by the new power: the Toltecs. PUBLISHED: -Christie's. Amsterdam. Tribal Art. December 11, 2001. Lot 280. - Woolley and Wallis. Salisbury. Tribal Art. June 19, 2014. Lot 1031. BIBLIOGRAPHY: - MILLER, M. Maya Art and Architecture. Thames & Hudson. 1999. - MILLER, M.; TAUBE, K. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. Thames & Hudson. 1997. - SHARER, R.J.; TRAXLER, L.P. The Ancient Maya. Stanford University Press. 2006. - THOMPSON, J.E.S. Maya History and Religion. University of Oklahoma Press. 1970. PARALLELS: Fig. 1 Head belonging to the exterior decoration of a building. Maya, Palenque (Mexico), 600-900 AD, stone and stucco. Amparo Museum, Puebla (Mexico), inv. 52 22 MA FA 57PJ 1387. Fig. 2 Head belonging to the exterior decoration of a building. Maya, Palenque (Mexico), 600-900 AD, stone and stucco. Amparo Museum, Puebla (Mexico), inv. 52 22 MA FA 57PJ 1387. Notes: The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The seller will take care that any necessary permits, like an export license will be arranged, he will inform the buyer about the status of it if this takes more than a few days. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License.