01 Photograph Gallery

02 Object Information

Description

Polychrome vase (red, orange, cream, and pink on a black background) decorated with a palace scene, in which six (6) richly attired figures are engaged in conversation around a high-ranking nobleman (probably a Lord or ruler). This lord is seated on a covered bench or throne decorated with red crisscrossing lines, or what could be a mat woven from natural fibers.

This figure wears a bird-headed headdress with a long beak, decorated with a plume of short feathers and several long feathers trailing backward. His clothing consists of a short, pink cape with fringed edges, a white hip cloth with painted fabric, and jewelry. In front of him, a young man wearing a hip cloth spotted like jaguar skin appears to be holding a large, round fan. Behind the fan-wielding figure, a dwarf with a red turban and his arms crossed in front of him listens to the conversation. Both stand on platforms or steps.

The remaining figures are positioned at different levels. One figure sits facing the ruler, while another kneels beside the throne, speaking to a standing nobleman behind him and dressed in a red-dotted loincloth and decorated with an extraordinary headdress made of feathers and tassels.

The last figure, standing, holds what appears to be a large, round banner adorned with feathers and ribbons. He wears a headdress with a jaguar head and a plume of short feathers; a yellow skirt with a red sash or belt knotted at the front; and jewelry.

The entire scene is set against a black background and framed by curtains.

* Polychrome orange Saxché type.

* Donated voluntarily by Dr. Francis Robicsek (2009)

* Some sections of the surface were repainted during restoration before entering the Foundation.

Period

CLASSIC (150/200 A.D.-900 A.D.) Late Classic (650-900 AD).

Provenance

Maya Lowlands

Medium / Material

Clay

Technique

Modeled, Painting, Slip

Dimensions

Height: 20.5 cm Diameter: 12.5 cm

03 References and Exhibitions

References to similar objects

Exhibitions

The vase was on loan to the Archaeological Museum of the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua Guatemala (from 2008 until September 2, 2019).

It is currently on loan to the exhibition gallery 1, “Pre-Columbian Maya Clothing,” at the Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Dress (starting May 24, 2022).

Publications