Mayan Pre-Columbian Blackware Effigy Vessel with Bird quebec folk art not so small hand-carved bench

not so small hand-carved bench seems very much one of a kind to me

surrounded by a gaggle of other children

I'd guess it dates from the first half of the 20th century

when optical illusions because a big thing in France (check out the phénakisticopes published by Joseph Plateau)  and reversal portraits were circulated

with fabulous inset portrait of what appears to be an Egyptian woman set against a landscape complete with camel

Mayan Pre-Columbian Blackware Effigy Vessel with Bird quebec folk art not so small hand-carved benchI found a note inside of this vessel which identifies is Mayan pre Columbian from Belize and I know it came from the estate of a pre Columbian pottery collector. Of course I love it for the head of the bird pointing out from the lip, and the way the lip is shaped to evince the bird's whole body. From what I understand, the blackened surface would have been achieved through the application of a mineral rich slip, with the monochrome finish designating