Pre-Columbian Maya Pottery Head of an elite Dignitary

Late Classic Period, ca. 600–900 CE.
Skillfully formed using an open-back ceramic press mold, this fragment exemplifies the mass-produced yet meticulously detailed funerary and votive figurines characteristic of the Maya lowlands and Gulf Coast interaction spheres, such as Jaina Island and Campeche. Modeled in relief with classic Maya facial aesthetics, displaying an elongated, subtly deformed cranial profile, narrow almond-shaped eyes under arched brows, an aquiline nose, and open, parted lips imparting an animated, lifelike countenance. Crowning the head is an expansive, winged or trapezoidal headdress with undulating horizontal grooves across the front border, flanked by projecting lateral crests. Below, the neck is defined by a raised beaded collar or choker resting above ear ornaments along the lower cheeks. The reverse clearly reveals the flat, finger-pressed interior from the initial pressing into the mold matrix.
Dimensions: 1-5/8 in H; 2-5/8 on a custom display mount bearing an old collection inventory label numbered "28. 
Condition: Fragmentary (head from a larger figure or vessel); surface wear, mineral deposits, and old breaks consistent with age. Provenance: Private Mercer Island, WA collection, by descent from Ruth Goldwyn Capps and Henry McClure "Mac" Capps, an art director and production designer for television and film in the mid-1950s.