Imitation

The existence of hieroglyphic inscriptions on a personal serving vessel was seen as a great mark of prestige. There were very few literate craftsmen (or literate Maya in general) so the ability to commission a piece with hieroglyphic inscriptions was a sign of great power. However, the demand so outpaced the supply that some artisans simply faked the hieroglyphic inscriptions, knowing that it wouldn't matter anyway because the recipient probably couldn't read them. Thus, the imitation of a prestige good led to actual prestige. The orange vessel is surrounded by a hieroglyphic inscription in pseudo-glyphs; they don't actually mean anything. The white vessel has an inscription that refers to the owner of the drinking vessel. Interestingly, the layout of the pseudo-glyphs is more carefully arranged than that of the real hieroglyphs, perhaps to compensate for their inauthenticity.

The kings provided the authority to nobles by appointing them to court positions, sometimes claiming blood ties. There was a strong culture of imitation among the Maya elite and the nobles would often base their houses on the King’s palace, building miniature versions of them to live in. The competition among Maya nobles was often fierce, as there were many more people who claimed noble lineage than there were court appointments. As a result, they would often try to outdo each other with displays of wealth (Andrews 36).

The Attarouthi Treasure is a group of chalices and strainers made in Syria. They were made with incredible care and precision and they are covered in Greek inscriptions describing their owners and function. They are also covered in images of saints.

The Avar Treasure is a collection of goblets and ewers with elaborate decorations as well. They were made by the Avar warrior tribe, who maintained a strange relationship with the nearby Byzantine Empire. They were used as hired hands to help the Byzantines conquer other groups. It is believed that their metalwork was supposed to be an imitation of the more prestigious Byzantine metalwork. They were a poor nomadic group before their contact with the Byzantines, although after their contact with the Byzantines they were paid in gold for their services. Perhaps the creation of these ornate drinking cups was an attempt at integration or self-affirmation that they were a part of the Byzantine society.

The luster bowl with the images of the peacock and a man is a Samarran piece from Iraq. The development of lustreware relied on imitation of Chinese ceramics. The Silk Road trading route connected Iraq to China and a few ceramics craftsmen were taken prisoner at one point in Iraq. They taught the lustreware techniques to Samarran craftsmen and the style proliferated. It became extremely popular with the middle class, who presumably wanted to own these pieces to display their wealth. Furthermore, there are references to gift-giving during feasts that discuss gold and silver pieces, but there aren’t descriptions of ceramic gift giving (Pancaroglu 9). Perhaps the golden shine on the lustreware was intended to imitate the more prestigious gold objects.