Pre-Columbian, Guatemala, Maya, Late Classic Period, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A fragmentary polychrome cylinder vessel boasting elaborate imagery of a seated lord or shaman feeding a long-beaked bird. Rows of glyphs are featured above and below the scene. Birds and bird feathers were so highly revered by ancient cultures. Birds were owned and traded as a symbol of wealth and status and often represented on Maya ceramics and stonework. Size: 3.9" W x 6.2" H (9.9 cm x 15.7 cm)

Residue analysis on vessels like this one show that they were used for drinking chocolate, a hugely popular and ritual practice amongst the Maya, especially the elite. Although we know little about the artisans who made vessels like this one, we do know that cylinder jars are often associated with tombs, sometimes ritually broken. Prominent Mayanist Michael Coe has connected the scenes depicted upon the most important of these vessels with the sixteenth century Maya written epic, the Popol Vuh, which describes Maya religion and mythology.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Marc Amiguet Schmitt estate, Evansville, Indiana, USA, acquired prior to 2000 from his grandfather

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#179720

Missing one side and part of base; professionally repaired with some chipping and minor losses along visible break lines. Chipping to rim, and nicks and abrasions throughout. Nice preservation of decorative program.