Apr 28, 2023
For #WorldTapirDay:
Plumbate vessel "depicting a shaman or priest wearing an enormous tapir head headdress, his face peeking out from inside of the creature's mouth." Maya / Toltec, c. 900 - 1200CE, 8.8 x 6.4cm.
Eduard Seler illustrated a similar tapir piece in 1904 ("Antiquities of Guatemala," Fig. 23d, p. 106) with a full body and wearing a shell necklace. Has anyone seen the original or any others like it? Plumbate vessels were usually manufactured in multiples so there should be others...?
PS: Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is the largest terrestrial mammal native to Maya territory.