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X-Rare Mayan Ballgame Sacred Manopla Stone browse these categories for related items... Directory: Antiques: Regional Art: Americas: Pre Columbian: Stone: Pre AD 1000: Item # 1113098
Apolonia Ancient Art 290 Fillmore St. #D Denver, CO. 80206 303-321-7351 gallery Guest Book Sold |
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| This extremely rare piece is a Mayan handstone known as a "Manopla", which was used by the ancient Maya when playing the Mayan ballgame. This piece dates circa 550-950 A.D., and is approximately 4.25 inches in diameter. This solid piece is intact, has no breaks and/or repair, and is an extremely rare complete example. This piece is in the form of a round ball, and has an opening on one side which formed the handle for this piece. There are also three round evenly spaced circles that are carved into the outer surface, and these represent the large rubber ball that was used in the Mayan ballgame. There is some slight wear on the outer surface, and some inner wear on the edges of the handle, and this inner wear is probably due to the fact that this piece was used a great deal as a hand held stone in the Mayan ballgame. The outer wear, was also probably caused with contact with the hard rubber ball. According to Linda Schele in "The Maya Cosmos, Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path", William Morrow and Co., Inc., New York, 1993, p. 343: "The hardness of the Maya ball and the danger of receiving it against unprotected flesh was apparently the same as in the Aztec game. A Maya ballplayer wore cotton padding around his pelvis, cotton padding and a heavy U-shaped protector called a yoke around the waist, thick cloth padding wrapped around his forearm, a single knee pad on one leg, and a calf-length leather skirt over his lioncloth. Sometimes they held a small handstone, used perhaps to put the ball into play. A stone object called a palma projected from the yoke in the center of their bodies. Most known yokes are made from stone, but one recovered from Burial 195 at Tikal was made of wood and cut in the typical grooved form shown in Maya imagery. Ballplaying gear also included the headdresses and other symbols of important gods, indicating that players probably assumed the roles of cosmic beings, elevating their play to the level of a great cosmic drama." Schele also descibes this Mayan handstone in "The Blood of Kings, Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art", Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 1986, p. 248: "Handstones may have been used to protect the hand in play, or perhaps when setting the heavy ball in motion, as appears to be the case on the Center Marker from the ballcourt at Copan. A figurine in the Munson-Williams-Proctor collection (Pl. 99) shows a ballplayer seated in a stately posture as if posed for a formal portrait, who holds a handstone at his side." (See attached photo.) The Maya played the ballgame as a sacred event which was tied to their gods, as noted by Schele, and the role of the Mayan handstone offered here had a sacred use in the game that is not totally understood by modern scholars. What is known, is that this type of stone piece is extremely rare in the market, and is not seen as much as the other Mayan stone implements that were used in the Mayan ballgame such as palmas, hachas, and yokes. This piece has some spotty white calcite and minute black mineral deposits. This piece also sits on a custom black plexiglas stand. Ex: Anthony Slaytor-Ralph collection, Montecito, CA. circa 1980's. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition: | |||||||||||||||
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